At its June 19 meeting, the North Dakota Industrial Commission voted in favor of a carbon dioxide capture and storage project involving the Blue Flint Ethanol Plant, adjacent to the Coal Creek Station, without a payback provision.
The Lignite Research Council had originally passed the $3.4 million project in May, but had included a contingency provision. The NDIC, which oversees the Lignite Research Program, had asked the LRC to take another look at the importance of the CO2 project to the ethanol plant and possibly to the adjacent coal-based power plant. So in June, the LRC met again and 19 members voted in favor of the proposal without the payback provision. There was also one “no” vote and one abstention. The total project is worth approximately $7 million.
The NDIC had already approved a $162,000 grant at its May meeting for converting North Dakota lignite and other U.S. coals into high-value solid carbon products such as graphene for use in multiple applications. The scope of work will also include an economic feasibility study and an analysis of product target markets and technology gaps for scale-up or commercialization. The proposal was submitted by the Energy & Environmental Research Center with additional funding coming from the U.S. Department of Energy. Graphene is used in electronics and is a considered an emerging market for lignite coal.
The NDIC is a partner with the regional lignite industry in the Lignite Research Program. State dollars are leveraged with industry investments for research and demonstration projects. Since 1987 when the partnership began, the state has invested more than $60 million in lignite research funds. Total investment in more than 190-plus projects is in excess of $700 million.