Tharaldson Ethanol is one of dozens of ethanol plants across five states taking part in the largest carbon capture and storage project in the world.
The $4.5 billion project is an endeavor headed by Summit Carbon Solutions. Continental Resources is contributing $250 million over the next two years to help fund the development and construction of the project.
Governor Doug Burgum says North Dakota is no stranger to CO2 capture and storage – but this is the most massive system of its kind.
"We've been capturing CO2 in North Dakota since the 1980s, and putting it in a pipeline and shipping it up to Canada. This project is going to have the capacity to capture and permanently store over 12 million tons of carbon dioxide every year. One calculation is that it's like taking 2.6 million cars off the road."
Carbon dioxide from 31 ethanol plants in Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota and South Dakota will be transported through a 2,000-mile pipeline to North Dakota, where it will be stored permanently in underground rock formations. Burgum says this project is a “win-win-win” for farmers and ethanol plants, environmental stewardship and US Energy Security.