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Milestone delivery of CO2 made by Great Plains Synfuels Plant

The CO2 project has garnered media attention from around the world.

Dakota Gasification Company - February 26, 2013

Early on the morning of Feb. 24, 2013, a milestone event occurred for the Great Plains Synfuels Plant, near Beulah, ND. At 4:53 a.m., the 25 millionth metric ton of carbon dioxide (CO₂) arrived at its final destination in Saskatchewan, Canada. The CO₂ is delivered via a 205-mile pipeline to two Canadian oil fields near Weyburn where it’s used for enhanced oil recovery.

Daren Eliason, senior process engineer, said the CO₂ travels through the pipeline at about two to three miles an hour and began its journey about three day earlier. “During a typical day the plant sends between 7,000 to 8,000 metric tons to Canada,” he said.

CO₂ is one of nine co-products/by-products produced at the Synfuels Plant. It is, however, the most talked about. “This is part of the largest coal-based CO₂ capture project in the world,” said Dave Sauer, Synfuels Plant manager. The Synfuels Plant began CO₂ deliveries in 2000.

The CO₂ is shipped to two Canadian customers, both of whom operate oil fields in the Weyburn area. One customer reports that by using CO₂, they've been able to achieve production of nearly 30,000 barrels per day up from the anticipated 10,000 barrels per day it would have been without the CO₂.

The CO₂ project has garnered media attention from around the world, said Daryl Hill, manager of media and communications relations at Basin Electric. “We’ve hosted news crews from 60 Minutes, the History Channel, Modern Marvels, CNN, BBC, Japan, Korea and Quebec, to name a few,” he said.

The other eight co-products/byproducts produced at the Synfuels Plant include tar oil, anhydrous ammonia, ammonium sulfate, cresylic acid, phenol, krypton-xenon, liquid nitrogen and naphtha.

The Synfuels Plant converts 18,000 tons of coal daily to produce more than 150 million cubic feet of natural gas that is delivered to the Northern Border Pipeline near Hebron, ND.

Since Dakota Gasification Company (DGC) took ownership of the plant in 1988, more than $400 million has been invested in the plant for upgrades and environmental controls. The byproducts were developed to provide a revenue stream as a hedge against the volatility of natural gas prices. “It’s been a wise investment for Basin Electric and its members,” Sauer said.

Headquartered in Bismarck, DGC owns and operates the Great Plains Synfuels Plant near Beulah, ND. The plant produces pipeline-quality natural gas and related coproducts from a coal gasification process. DGC is a subsidiary of Basin Electric Power Cooperative, Bismarck.