The North Dakota Industrial Commission, consisting of Gov. Doug Burgum, Attorney General Drew Wrigley and Agriculture Commissioner Doug Goehring, approved $15 million in matching grants and $222.5 million in loans during the latest grant rounds for the Oil and Gas Research and Clean Sustainable Energy programs. Both programs are funded by oil and gas production tax and state mineral royalty revenues. The Oil and Gas Research Program was established in 2007 to provide grants for projects that enhance the production of oil and natural gas in North Dakota. The Clean Sustainable Energy Program was established in 2021 to advance the commercialization of low-emissions technologies for North Dakota’s energy industry.
The approved Oil and Gas Research projects include:
- $525,000 to ONEOK, Inc. for the first phase of a proposed carbon dioxide storage hub in Williams County
- $2,000,000 to Cobra Oil and Gas for a project to enhance oil recovery from residual oil zones in western North Dakota
- $4,000,000 to the Energy and Environmental Research Center for the fourth phase of its Bakken Production Optimization Program, which seeks to develop new technologies for maximizing production from North Dakota oil and gas wells
In addition to the Oil and Gas Research projects, the Commission also approved five new Clean Sustainable Energy Program projects:
- $3,500,000 in matching grants to Bushel, Inc. for the development of a software dashboard to track carbon sequestration for production agriculture
- $150,000,000 loan to Minnkota Power Cooperative to support the construction of a carbon capture system at the Milton R. Young power plant
- $30,000,000 loan to Newlight Technologies to support the construction of a carbon-negative plastics-alternative manufacturing plant in North Dakota
- $42,500,000 loan to Rainbow Energy to support the construction of commodities recycled from bottom ash and coal combustion residuals
- $5,000,000 grant to WellSpring Hydro to support the construction of an oilfield produced water recycling facility in Williams County
“We commend the project sponsors for their dedication to innovation and investment in North Dakota,” the Commission said in a joint statement. “The projects approved today will ensure that the future of North Dakota’s energy industry remains resilient and sustainable. We would also like to thank Rep. Glenn Bosch and Sen. Dale Patten for their leadership as the new co-chairs of the Clean Sustainable Energy Authority. We look forward to working together with them to advance North Dakota’s energy goals.”
The next submission deadline for both the Oil and Gas Research Program and the Clean Sustainable Energy Program is Nov. 1, 2023. More information about the two programs may be found on the Industrial Commission’s website at https://www.ndic.nd.gov.
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