Landowners near Center, N.D., had an opportunity on April 6 to receive updates on Project Tundra development efforts, ask questions of the project leaders and learn more from the scientists who have studied the area’s geology for carbon dioxide (CO2) storage.
Minnkota has reached significant milestones in 2022 in its pursuit of Project Tundra. In January, the cooperative received the necessary permits to safely and permanently store CO2 in the area. In addition, the designated storage site became the second in the United States to receive approval of its Monitoring, Reporting and Verification (MRV) plan from the Environmental Protection Agency. The MRV plan is required to utilize federal 45Q tax credits for the project.
“These approvals are essential for Project Tundra to move forward,” said Mac McLennan, Minnkota president and CEO. “We remain grateful for the outstanding support we’ve received from area landowners, the city of Center and the communities around Oliver County. Project Tundra would not be possible without these strong partnerships and your continued cooperation as we continue ahead.”
Among the speakers at the landowner meeting were McLennan, Shannon Mikula, Minnkota environmental manager and Project Tundra geologic storage lead; and Wes Peck, Assistant Director for Subsurface Strategies at the Energy & Environmental Research Center. Both in-person and virtual meetings have been held consistently over the last few years to ensure landowners and other key stakeholders receive timely project updates and have a forum to ask questions and provide feedback.
Minnkota anticipates completing engineering work and permitting of the CO2 capture facility. Additional work will be completed to refine the project’s economic model and prepare to pursue financing efforts. A decision on whether to move forward with construction is expected before the end of the year.
“We believe this project can serve as a blueprint for the rest of the state, country and world to preserve coal-based power plants, while making important progress toward environmental goals, including Governor Burgum’s goal to be net carbon neutral by 2030,” McLennan said.
Landowners near Center, N.D., had an opportunity on April 6 to receive updates on Project Tundra development efforts, ask questions of the project leaders and learn more from the scientists who have studied the area’s geology for carbon dioxide (CO2) storage.
Minnkota has reached significant milestones in 2022 in its pursuit of Project Tundra. In January, the cooperative received the necessary permits to safely and permanently store CO2 in the area. In addition, the designated storage site became the second in the United States to receive approval of its Monitoring, Reporting and Verification (MRV) plan from the Environmental Protection Agency. The MRV plan is required to utilize federal 45Q tax credits for the project.
“These approvals are essential for Project Tundra to move forward,” said Mac McLennan, Minnkota president and CEO. “We remain grateful for the outstanding support we’ve received from area landowners, the city of Center and the communities around Oliver County. Project Tundra would not be possible without these strong partnerships and your continued cooperation as we continue ahead.”
Among the speakers at the landowner meeting were McLennan, Shannon Mikula, Minnkota environmental manager and Project Tundra geologic storage lead; and Wes Peck, Assistant Director for Subsurface Strategies at the Energy & Environmental Research Center. Both in-person and virtual meetings have been held consistently over the last few years to ensure landowners and other key stakeholders receive timely project updates and have a forum to ask questions and provide feedback.
Minnkota anticipates completing engineering work and permitting of the CO2 capture facility. Additional work will be completed to refine the project’s economic model and prepare to pursue financing efforts. A decision on whether to move forward with construction is expected before the end of the year.
“We believe this project can serve as a blueprint for the rest of the state, country and world to preserve coal-based power plants, while making important progress toward environmental goals, including Governor Burgum’s goal to be net carbon neutral by 2030,” McLennan said.
