The North Dakota Industrial Commission approved $11.4 million in Lignite Research, Development and Marketing Program matching grants for seven new research projects. The funding, generated from lignite severance tax as well as oil and gas production tax revenue, supports the growth of North Dakota’s lignite industry through research and education.
In a joint statement, the three members of the Commission, Gov. Doug Burgum, Attorney General Drew Wrigley and Agriculture Commissioner Doug Goehring, stated, “The projects approved today represent great opportunities for continuing to position North Dakota as the nation’s leader in energy innovation. Priority areas such as value-added products manufactured from lignite byproducts, carbon capture and production of rare earth elements are all well represented in this latest grant round. We are grateful for the work of the project sponsors and look forward to working with them to advance our energy goals.”
The approved projects include:
• $450,000 to the Lignite Energy Council to continue its education program.
• $837,313 to the Energy and Environmental Research Center (EERC) to study the addition of redundancy into the design of a carbon capture system for Coal Creek Station.
• $6,119,690 to co-applicants University of North Dakota (UND) and EERC for development of a carbon capture storage complex for Coal Creek Station.
• $700,000 to Americarbon Products for an engineering design and feasibility analysis for graphite and asphalt manufacturing from lignite pitch.
• $1,050,000 to co-applicants UND and EERC for continued assessment of critical minerals and rare earth elements through the Williston Basin CORE-CM Initiative.
• $250,000 to UND for assessments of value-added product creation through CO2 mineralization.
• $2,000,000 to UND for recovery and refining of rare earth elements from lignite mine wastes.
Any person, corporation, partnership, cooperative, association, or consortium of such parties is eligible to apply for Lignite Research, Development and Marketing Program funding. Funds are required to be matched by private dollars. The next submission deadline for Lignite Research, Development and Marketing Program grants is Oct. 1, 2023. More information about the two programs may be found on the Industrial Commission’s website at: https://www.ndic.nd.gov/lignite-research-program.
For more information, contact the Industrial Commission at 701-328-3722.