$350M award for one of "world's largest" carbon capture projects near Center, North Dakota

(Fargo, ND) – The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced Thursday that $350 million has been awarded for the development of Project Tundra.

It's described as one of the world’s largest carbon capture projects located near Center, North Dakota. 

According to Senator Kevin Cramer, the funds will be distributed through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act’s Carbon Capture Demonstration Projects Program, which supports the development of community-informed integrated carbon capture, transport, and storage projects.

“North Dakota is a global leader in the deployment of carbon capture solutions. Today’s announcement is another major win from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law our state,” said Senator Cramer, member of the Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee. “Congratulations to Minnkota. Once Project Tundra is completed, it will be a major feather in the cap for North Dakota’s innovative energy system, keeping miners on the job while putting clean, reliable electricity on the grid.”

Project Tundra is designed to capture up to 4 million metric tons of CO2 annually from the Milton R. Young Station, a lignite coal-based power plant. The CO2 would then be safely stored in geologic formations, roughly a mile underground. 

While construction of the project is anticipated to begin in 2024, the facility’s commercial operation is set to begin in 2028. 

Project Tundra is being developed by Minnkota Power Cooperative, TC Energy, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and Kiewit.