The U.S. Department of Energy's Wind Program, through its Wind Powering America initiative, announced that Minnkota Power Cooperative has received the 2010 Wind Cooperative of the Year Award. The award was presented at the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA) TechAdvantage Conference in Orlando, Florida. This 10th annual award honors the North Dakota-based NRECA member for its outstanding leadership, innovation, project creativity and benefits to customers resulting from North Dakota's first utility-owned wind turbine and its other investments wind power. The cooperative was selected for the honor from a group of eight nominees nationwide. Read more...
Showing posts with label North Dakota. Show all posts
Showing posts with label North Dakota. Show all posts
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Lugar Urges Keystone Approval
The latest support for the Keystone XL pipeline came yesterday from Sen. Richard Lugar, the leading Republican on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Lugar said the pipeline is critical to U.S. energy security and urged the State Department to promptly approve the permit required for the project to proceed.
Meanwhile, the Natural Resources Defense Council has released a report highlighting what the group says are the safety risks relating to transporting oilsands crude through pipelines. TransCanada Corp., the Keystone XL project developer, stated the safety considerations relating to oilsands crude were no different than those for crude oil currently being distributed across the U.S. Read more...
Meanwhile, the Natural Resources Defense Council has released a report highlighting what the group says are the safety risks relating to transporting oilsands crude through pipelines. TransCanada Corp., the Keystone XL project developer, stated the safety considerations relating to oilsands crude were no different than those for crude oil currently being distributed across the U.S. Read more...
Report Questions ND Oilfield Oversight
An AP report yesterday raises questions about the level of oversight in the oilfields of North Dakota's Williston Basin. According to the report, oilfield spills and waste disposal sites are being untended or are infrequently monitored due to inadequate personnel and funding. North Dakota's energy resources department is funded and staffed to handle 100 rigs and about 5,000 wells, the report points out, whereas a record 169 active rigs were reported today and more than 5,300 wells were pumping oil. Up to 2,000 more new wells reportedly are expected by the end of the year. Read more...
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
TransCanada Says Keystone XL Pushed Back
According to a Reuters report this afternoon, officials from Alberta-based TransCanada Corp. now say the U.S. State Department permit required for construction of the Keystone XL pipeline is not expected until the second half of 2011. The company also reportedly has increased the cost estimate for the project to $13 billion. Read more...
Friday, February 11, 2011
ND House Votes Down Wind Rights Sharing Bill
The North Dakota House has rejected a proposal to require income sharing from wind energy projects. Currently, property owners who host wind turbines receive a percentage of power sales revenue as well as land rent. The bill defeated today would have required neighboring landowners to also receive payments if they lost a chance to host wind turbines on their property. The bill also would have required payments to landowners within a half-mile of a wind turbine as compensation for noise and the loss of a scenic view.
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Wind-rights-sharing-rule-apf-732739714.html?x=0&.v=1
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Wind-rights-sharing-rule-apf-732739714.html?x=0&.v=1
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
North Dakota Blender Pump Update
According to a recent media report, North Dakota gas stations have now installed more than 170 blender pumps, more than any other state. Blender pumps allow motorists to select a variety of ethanol blends from a single pump in addition to the standard E15 most often sold. The 61st North Dakota Legislative Assembly provided one-time funding for a Biofuels Blender Pump Program--$5,000 per pump and up to $40,000 per retailer. The program has received additional funding from the Department of Energy. Retailers installing ethanol blender pumps also may be eligible for an additional grant of $2,500 per pump from the North Dakota Corn Council. The state program runs through May 1, 2011.
http://www.kxnet.com/getArticle.asp?ArticleId=717738
http://www.communityservices.nd.gov/energy/biofuels-blender-pump-program/
http://www.kxnet.com/getArticle.asp?ArticleId=717738
http://www.communityservices.nd.gov/energy/biofuels-blender-pump-program/
TransCanada Begins Deliveries to Cushing
TransCanada Corporation today announced that is has begun delivering crude oil to Cushing, Oklahoma through its 298-mile extension from Steele City, Nebraska. The company is waiting for a permit from the U.S. State Department to begin construction of the highly controversial Keystone XL pipeline that would run from Alberta to Nebaska and then on to Cushing and the Gulf Coast, carrying crude from Canada's oilsands and from the Williston Basin in North Dakota and Montana.
http://www.marketwire.com/press-release/Keystones-Cushing-Extension-Begins-Deliveries-to-Oklahoma-TSX-TRP-1392573.htm
http://www.marketwire.com/press-release/Keystones-Cushing-Extension-Begins-Deliveries-to-Oklahoma-TSX-TRP-1392573.htm
Thursday, February 3, 2011
Minnesota Mulls Changes to Coal Law
The Minnesota House energy and natural resources committee on Tuesday approved on an 11-6 vote a bill presented by Rep. Michael Beard to modify recent changes in the state's air laws relating to coal-fired electricity. The bill would allow out-of-state electricity produced with coal to come into the state unrestricted and make it possible for new coal-fired plants to be built in Minnesota. The bill, and a similar one in the Senate, must be considered by other committees before reaching the House and Senate for votes.
The law has implcations for North Dakota's coal industry. Under the current law passed during the previous legislative session, Minnesota utilities would be required beginning in 2012 to assume costs of between $9 and $34 for each ton of carbon dioxide emitted by plants producing importing power, including those in North Dakota. Opponents of the law say this would place coal-generated power at a competitive disadvantage to renewable energy sources such as wind and solar and would drive up the cost of electricity. The North Dakota attorney general's office has announced that it is considering a lawsuit against Minnesota over the coal laws, arguing that they violate interstate commerce laws.
http://www.swcbulletin.com/event/article/id/17470/
The law has implcations for North Dakota's coal industry. Under the current law passed during the previous legislative session, Minnesota utilities would be required beginning in 2012 to assume costs of between $9 and $34 for each ton of carbon dioxide emitted by plants producing importing power, including those in North Dakota. Opponents of the law say this would place coal-generated power at a competitive disadvantage to renewable energy sources such as wind and solar and would drive up the cost of electricity. The North Dakota attorney general's office has announced that it is considering a lawsuit against Minnesota over the coal laws, arguing that they violate interstate commerce laws.
http://www.swcbulletin.com/event/article/id/17470/
Likely Cellulosic Feedstocks
By Cole Gustafson, Biofuels Economist, NDSU Extension Service
My new research assistant, David Ripplinger, is helping me with a U.S. Department of Agriculture-funded study that has the goal of developing new pricing and trading standards for cellulosic biomass feedstocks. A first step in the study is to identify the most promising feedstocks and the technologies employed to produce cellulosic biofuels.
We have developed a database of current and planned biomass projects using commercial data published in several biofuel industry publications and by the U.S. Department of Energy. Projects were reviewed to assure progress was being made and the activity wasn’t just hype.
In total, more than 100 different projects were included. Of these, there were more than 25 alternative technologies employed and just as many feedstock sources.
The top five feedstocks and their production goals for 2015 were algae, 857 million gallons; palm, rapeseed oil and waste fat, 572 million gallons; palm waste, 316 million gallons; corn, 263 million gallons; and municipal solid waste, 233 million gallons.
Agricultural straws and stovers, which have been highlighted for several years, didn’t make it very far up the list as potentials. The highest was corn stover at 64 million gallons. Dedicated energy crops, such as switchgrass and miscanthus, were not even included in the top 25 possibilities being considered.
With respect to production and conversion technologies, the ranking was far tighter. Hydroprocessing (772 million gallons), algae fermentation (750 million gallons) and fermentation of feedstocks other than algae (678 million gallons) were highly ranked. Enzymatic hydrolysis, pyrolysis and gasification, which are actively discussed in the literature, also ranked low.
Several interesting points can be made with this data. First, 2015 isn’t that far away, and production in our totals falls short of renewable fuel standard (No. 2) national goals for cellulosic biofuel production. Firms are going to have to accelerate research development, technology deployment and commercialization to achieve these goals. A significant hurdle is capital, which is only now starting to thaw.
Second, economic reality is going to sort out the winners from the losers. While algae is at the top of the list, the feedstock recently has received several quite negative reviews with respect to commercial viability and affordability. Trade policy also is going to have a huge effect on economics, especially for feedstocks such as palm, which are imported. Our personal view is that waste fats and solid waste offer a competitive advantage because of the low delivery cost.
Third, with technology alternatives ranked so closely, it is premature to anoint a winner. Continued refinement easily could result in reshuffled rankings. Finally, the apparently low relationship between feedstock and technology implies that most feedstocks have potential, regardless of which technology evolves.
While the word "likely" is in the title of this article, the best technology or feedstock choices are not crystal clear as of yet.
Source: NDSU Agriculture Communication
My new research assistant, David Ripplinger, is helping me with a U.S. Department of Agriculture-funded study that has the goal of developing new pricing and trading standards for cellulosic biomass feedstocks. A first step in the study is to identify the most promising feedstocks and the technologies employed to produce cellulosic biofuels.
We have developed a database of current and planned biomass projects using commercial data published in several biofuel industry publications and by the U.S. Department of Energy. Projects were reviewed to assure progress was being made and the activity wasn’t just hype.
In total, more than 100 different projects were included. Of these, there were more than 25 alternative technologies employed and just as many feedstock sources.
The top five feedstocks and their production goals for 2015 were algae, 857 million gallons; palm, rapeseed oil and waste fat, 572 million gallons; palm waste, 316 million gallons; corn, 263 million gallons; and municipal solid waste, 233 million gallons.
Agricultural straws and stovers, which have been highlighted for several years, didn’t make it very far up the list as potentials. The highest was corn stover at 64 million gallons. Dedicated energy crops, such as switchgrass and miscanthus, were not even included in the top 25 possibilities being considered.
With respect to production and conversion technologies, the ranking was far tighter. Hydroprocessing (772 million gallons), algae fermentation (750 million gallons) and fermentation of feedstocks other than algae (678 million gallons) were highly ranked. Enzymatic hydrolysis, pyrolysis and gasification, which are actively discussed in the literature, also ranked low.
Several interesting points can be made with this data. First, 2015 isn’t that far away, and production in our totals falls short of renewable fuel standard (No. 2) national goals for cellulosic biofuel production. Firms are going to have to accelerate research development, technology deployment and commercialization to achieve these goals. A significant hurdle is capital, which is only now starting to thaw.
Second, economic reality is going to sort out the winners from the losers. While algae is at the top of the list, the feedstock recently has received several quite negative reviews with respect to commercial viability and affordability. Trade policy also is going to have a huge effect on economics, especially for feedstocks such as palm, which are imported. Our personal view is that waste fats and solid waste offer a competitive advantage because of the low delivery cost.
Third, with technology alternatives ranked so closely, it is premature to anoint a winner. Continued refinement easily could result in reshuffled rankings. Finally, the apparently low relationship between feedstock and technology implies that most feedstocks have potential, regardless of which technology evolves.
While the word "likely" is in the title of this article, the best technology or feedstock choices are not crystal clear as of yet.
Source: NDSU Agriculture Communication
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Wind Siting Bill Passed by ND Senate
The North Dakota Senate voted unanimously on Tuesday to give the North Dakota Public Service Commission siting power over wind projects capable of generating more than one-half megawatt of electricity. The present law restricts the commission's siting authority to projects that can generate more than 60 megawatts. The bill, SB2196, will now be reviewed by the House.
Monday, January 31, 2011
UND to Host Cleantech Conference
Two University of North Dakota-based groups—the Sustainable Energy Research Initiative and Supporting Education (SUNRISE) program and the Center for Innovation—are organizing the Cleantech 2011 Workshop and Action Summit to be held June 19-21 at the Alerus Center in Grand Forks.
http://www2.und.nodak.edu/our/news/story.php?id=3353
http://www2.und.nodak.edu/our/news/story.php?id=3353
North Dakota Bill Would Lower Oil Tax
The North Dakota legislature is considering a bill that would lower state oil taxes from 11.5 percent to 9.5 percent for newly drilled wells. The ND House Finance and Taxation Committee reviewed the bill today. According to the state Tax Department, the proposed legislation would mean a reduction of up to $371 million in taxes over two years.
http://www.bismarcktribune.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/2011_session/article_50cf7118-2d5b-11e0-a8f5-001cc4c03286.html
http://www.bismarcktribune.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/2011_session/article_50cf7118-2d5b-11e0-a8f5-001cc4c03286.html
Fracking Study Released
According to a Congressional report released today, companies hired to perform hydraulic fracturing ("fracking") used 32.2 million gallons of diesel alone or in a mixture from 2005 to 2009. Most was injected in Texas, followed by Oklahoma, North Dakota, Louisiana and Wyoming. The year-long investigation, which was led by Rep. Henry Waxman, D-Calif., and other two other Democrats on the House Energy and Commerce Committee, found no evidence that the use of diesel fuel contaminated water supplies. The report did, however, state that the companies appeared to violate the Safe Drinking Water Act because permission was not obtained from state or federal authorities to use the diesel fuel.
Sunday, January 30, 2011
EERC Announces 2011 Biomass Conference
The Energy & Environmental Research Center at the University of North Dakota announced today that the "Biomass ’11: Renewable Power, Fuels, and Chemicals Conference" will be held at the Alerus Center in Grand Forks, North Dakota, July 26–27, 2011. Read more...
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
ND Wind Company Gets New Investor
Phoenix-based NACEL Energy Corporation has
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
North Dakota Oil Impact Study Released
According to a North Dakota State University study released today, the economic impact of the state's oil industry soared from $4.2 billion to $12.7 billion between 2005 and 2009. State officials predicted the 2009 economic impact numbers will soon be overshadowed by those from 2010. Estimated production for the year was about 110 million barrels, up from 79.7 million in 2009. There currently are about 5,300 producing oil wells, up from 4,190 in 2009. Read more...
New Railport Planned for Western ND
A large multi-user rail terminal will be built in Trenton, North Dakota, according to an announcement today. The terminal, to be known as Trenton Railport, will be built by Savage Companies and served by the BNSF Railway. The facility will include rail infrastructure, open space for oil field materials storage, and receiving capability for frac sand and other materials. The project will be designed to bring large-scale rail service to the Bakken Formation providing transport of oil-field related materials such as tubular, frac sand and other strategic materials, in addition to the capability to load and ship unit trains of crude oil. Read more...
Thursday, January 20, 2011
North Dakota's EERC Gets DOE Grant
The Energy & Environmental Research Center (EERC) at the University of North Dakota announced today that its Plains CO2 Reduction (PCOR) Partnership has been awarded $768,000 from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to continue research demonstrating the effectiveness of injecting a mixture of carbon dioxide (CO2) and hydrogen sulfide (H2S), a toxic and corrosive gas sometimes referred to as "acid gas," into an oil field for the purpose of simultaneously reducing greenhouse gas emissions and improving oil recovery.
Since 2006, the EERC's PCOR Partnership, one of seven members of DOE's Regional Carbon Sequestration Partnership Program, has performed a series of major field tests at sites in the United States and Canada to examine the effectiveness of carbon capture and storage (CCS) technologies, including the injection of acid gas at the Zama oil field in Alberta, Canada. Both the previous and planned work is being conducted in close collaboration with Apache Canada, Ltd., the owner and operator of the oil field, and Natural Resources Canada.
The new funding will support two more years of activities at Zama that are aimed at demonstrating that acid gas injection is a safe and effective means of reducing CO2 emission while enhancing oil recovery. The findings will help support national and global efforts to develop and deploy CCS use as one option for mitigating the emission of greenhouse gases to the atmosphere.
Read more...
Since 2006, the EERC's PCOR Partnership, one of seven members of DOE's Regional Carbon Sequestration Partnership Program, has performed a series of major field tests at sites in the United States and Canada to examine the effectiveness of carbon capture and storage (CCS) technologies, including the injection of acid gas at the Zama oil field in Alberta, Canada. Both the previous and planned work is being conducted in close collaboration with Apache Canada, Ltd., the owner and operator of the oil field, and Natural Resources Canada.
The new funding will support two more years of activities at Zama that are aimed at demonstrating that acid gas injection is a safe and effective means of reducing CO2 emission while enhancing oil recovery. The findings will help support national and global efforts to develop and deploy CCS use as one option for mitigating the emission of greenhouse gases to the atmosphere.
Read more...
ONEOK Announces More Bakken Investments
Oklahoma-based ONEOK Partners, L.P. today announced plans to invest between $260 million and $305 million in additional Williston Basin projects by the end of 2014.
The investments include $135 million to $150 million for the construction of a new natural gas processing facility in western Williams County, N.D. The plant, to be called Stateline II, is projected to process 100 million cubic feet per day (MMcf/d) and is expected to be online in the first half of 2013.
ONEOK also plans to invest approximately $80 million to $110 million for expansions and upgrades to its existing gathering and compression infrastructure in the Williston Basin, as well as approximately $45 million for new well connections associated with the Stateline II facility.
The partnership previously announced plans to construct two other new natural gas processing facilities in the region, the Stateline I and Garden Creek plants. When completed, the combined natural gas processing capacity of the three new plants and a fourth already built (Grasslands) will be approximately 400 MMcf/d. This will nearly quadruple the partnership's current processing capacity in the Williston Basin.
Source links...
--http://ir.oneok.com/releasedetail.cfm?ReleaseID=544868&ReleaseType=OKS
--http://ir.oneok.com/releasedetail.cfm?ReleaseID=514288&ReleaseType=ONEOK
--http://ir.oneok.com/releasedetail.cfm?ReleaseID=462148&ReleaseType=OKS
The investments include $135 million to $150 million for the construction of a new natural gas processing facility in western Williams County, N.D. The plant, to be called Stateline II, is projected to process 100 million cubic feet per day (MMcf/d) and is expected to be online in the first half of 2013.
ONEOK also plans to invest approximately $80 million to $110 million for expansions and upgrades to its existing gathering and compression infrastructure in the Williston Basin, as well as approximately $45 million for new well connections associated with the Stateline II facility.
The partnership previously announced plans to construct two other new natural gas processing facilities in the region, the Stateline I and Garden Creek plants. When completed, the combined natural gas processing capacity of the three new plants and a fourth already built (Grasslands) will be approximately 400 MMcf/d. This will nearly quadruple the partnership's current processing capacity in the Williston Basin.
Source links...
--http://ir.oneok.com/releasedetail.cfm?ReleaseID=544868&ReleaseType=OKS
--http://ir.oneok.com/releasedetail.cfm?ReleaseID=514288&ReleaseType=ONEOK
--http://ir.oneok.com/releasedetail.cfm?ReleaseID=462148&ReleaseType=OKS
Sunday, January 2, 2011
Spiritwood Start-Up Date Announced
A $350 million lignite-fired power plant near Jamestown, North Dakota will go online on Jan. 1, 2012, according to a news report today. The plant, known as the Spiritwood Station, is owned by Minnesota-based Great River Energy and originally was set to start up in 2010. The date was postponed due to a weak economy in Minnesota, where most of the electricity will be sold. Spiritwood is Great River Energy's first baseload power plant built since 1981 and North Dakota's first coal-fired power plant in a quarter century.
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