E-Mail Page  Print  Feedback

Gasification and CO2

World-class facility:  The Great Plains Synfuels Plant

The Great Plains Synfuels Plant (above) near Beulah, ND, is the only commercial-scale
gasification plant operating in the United States that produces synthetic natural gas
(SNG) from coal and sequesters a portion of its CO2 emissions in two Canadian oilfields.

Dakota Gas has a strong commitment to the environment. Dakota Gas operates its facilities in compliance with Title V Air Permit to Operate and has improved its environmental footprint by achieving better reliabilities, improved efficiency, and meeting environmental goals. The Synfuels Plant continues to be in compliance with all state and federal laws. Based on stack emissions, it is the cleanest energy plant operating in the State of North Dakota.

DGC makes $39.2 million payment to the U.S. Department of Energy

DGC revenue sharing press event

It's not often that people travel to Washington, D.C., to give money back to the government. But that's exactly what happened May 7, 2007, when officials from Dakota Gasification Company (DGC) made a $39.2 million payment to the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). The payment was accepted by U.S. Energy Secretary Samuel Bodman as part of a revenue sharing agreement signed in 1988.

The revenue sharing agreement was signed in 1988 when DGC bought the Great Plains Synfuels Plant - a coal gasification plant located near Beulah, N.D. As part of the sale agreement, Dakota Gas agreed to share revenue from gas sales with the DOE through 2009.

The greatest CO2 story ever told

Carbon dioxide (CO2) compressor station at the Synfuels Plant

Dakota Gas is an international leader in the capture, compression, and sequestration of CO2. Since 1999, Synfuels Plant CO2 that would otherwise be emitted into the atmosphere has been compressed and delivered through a 205-mile pipeline to EnCana Corporation oilfields near Weyburn, Saskatchewan, Canada, and more recently to nearby Apache Canada Ltd. oilfields for use in enhanced oil recovery. With increased demand for CO2 export, and the 2006 addition of a third CO2 compressor, Dakota Gas has seen a dramatic reduction in CO2 emissions at the Synfuels Plant.

As an added environmental benefit, virtually all of the injected CO2 is expected to remain permanently sequestered in the depleted oil fields long after they have been abandoned. With three compressors in operation, Dakota Gas can now capture and deliver for sequestration 49 percent of CO2 produced at the Synfuels Plant, which represents 16 percent of CO2 produced from all the coal combusted from the Freedom Mine – making it a proven technical and economic success for both Dakota Gas and its Canadian customers.

Attitude of discovery

"I'm new to Dakota Gasification Company and I want to tell you what I found when I arrived here. What I've encountered are excellent people with optimistic, can-do mindsets. They have a passion for innovation and an attitude of discovery. When I saw the ingenuity used to develop the by-products and state-of-the-art chemical laboratory, I was impressed. I also found operational excellence. These people operate the plant successfully using advanced technology, and they are superb project implementers.” – Gary G. Loop, chief operating officer and senior vice president of Dakota Gasification Company

Top of page

E-Mail Page  Print  Feedback

• Gasification and CO2
• Glossary

National treasure 

“The gasification plant is a national treasure and I think it should be recognized as such. It is absolutely amazing…the combination of the gas plant, Antelope Valley Station and the {Freedom} mine right next to each other – there is just no other facility complex like it – it’s unmatched in the world. You should be proud of that fact.” 
 – Dr. Robert Peltier, editor-in-chief, POWER magazine