It’s called “Project Tundra.”
It will retrofit the Milton R. Young power plant, owned by Minnkota Power Cooperative, to capture carbon dioxide. That CO2 would be used for enhanced oil recovery.
It's a $1.2 billion project.
The Energy and Environmental Research Center at UND is partnering with Minnkota.
"The next step is called a "FEED" study, for 'Front End Engineering Design," said EERC director Tom Erickson. "That's the final step before you go out and get financing, and construct the facility.
"We have no reason to believe there are any show-stoppers at this time," Erickson said.
Erickson said the target for the CO2 use is conventional oil wells – with an eventual goal of using it on Bakken wells.
"We haven't quite cracked that nut yet," Erickson said. "We know in the laboratory it does a tremendous job, but applying it in the field is something we're still working on."
It would be one of two power plants in the US that would have the carbon capture technology. The other one is in Texas.