Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL): Coal Creek Carbon Capture: Site Characterization and PermittingEmail PagePrint Page

Project Information

Prime Performer:University of North Dakota (Grand Forks, ND)Agreement Number:FE0032331
Project Duration:10/01/2023 - 09/30/2027Total Award Value:$53,547,830 
Technology Area:Storage InfrastructureDOE Share:$42,838,265 
Key Technology:CarbonSAFEPerformer Share:$10,709,565 
Aerial photograph of Coal Creek Station and Blue Flint Ethanol plant.
Aerial photograph of Coal Creek Station and Blue Flint Ethanol plant.

Project Description

The goal of this project is to advance development of a large-scale commercial geologic carbon dioxide (CO2) storage hub in central North Dakota to safely and permanently store up to 200 million metric tons of CO2. The proposed storage hub would store up to 8.9 million metric tons per year of CO2 captured from the Coal Creek Station power plant and up to 200,000 metric tons per year of CO2 captured from the Blue Flint Ethanol plant, which is colocated with Coal Creek Station. Project efforts being led by the University of North Dakota's Energy & Environmental Research Center, in partnership with Rainbow Energy Center and Neset Consulting Services, Inc., include site characterization and permitting. The main activities of this project are to acquire 3D seismic data, drill a geologic characterization (stratigraphic test) well, conduct a pipeline front-end engineering and design (FEED) study, prepare North Dakota underground injection control (UIC) Class VI permit applications, and generate National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) documentation such as an environmental information volume (EIV) and subsequent environmental assessment (EA) or Environmental Impact Statement (EIS). In addition, the project team will identify societal considerations and impacts of the proposed research, including both positive and negative impacts on disadvantaged communities and subpopulations, and develop and implement region-specific plans to engage communities and stakeholders.

Project Benefits

Successful completion of the proposed project will result in a fully characterized and permitted commercial storage hub to store up to 200 million metric tons of CO2, which would contribute 10% of the 2-billion-metric-ton CO2 storage capacity goal of the CarbonSAFE (Carbon Storage Assurance Facility Enterprise) Program. The proposed project will advance the development of carbon capture and storage (CCS) at Coal Creek Station, which would reduce as much as 95% of the CO2 emissions from the plant, representing a 19% reduction of CO2 from North Dakota’s stationary sources. Implementation of CCS at Coal Creek Station would allow it to supply reliable low-carbon-baseload power to members of the Midwest Independent System Operators (MISO), including Minnesota and disadvantaged communities there as well as others in the surrounding Midwest area. Additionally, the development of CCS at Coal Creek Station would create an estimated 35–40 long-term jobs and over 2000 direct/indirect short-term construction jobs. The proposed project would facilitate attracting, training, and retaining a skilled and well-qualified workforce for these new and existing jobs. The proposed project would also provide internship opportunities to students from minority-serving institutions.

Presentations, Papers, and Publications

Contact Information

Federal Project Manager:Joshua Hull (joshua.hull@netl.doe.gov)
Technology Manager:William Aljoe (william.aljoe@netl.doe.gov)
Principal Investigator:Amanda Livers-Douglas (alivers@undeerc.org)