02.15.18

Hoeven Announces $700,000 in DOE Funding for Energy & Environmental Research Center at UND to Develop Allam Cycle

WASHINGTON – Senator John Hoeven, a member of the Senate Energy and Appropriations Committees, today announced that the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has awarded a $700,000 grant to the Energy and Environmental Research Center (EERC) at the University of North Dakota (UND). The funds will be used to build and operate a direct-fired, supercritical CO2 cycle pilot plant which will help develop the Allam Cycle, technology to reduce CO2 emissions and increase efficiency in coal-fired and natural gas power plants.

“Today’s funding will be used to build a pilot plant which will be an important part in the overall development of the Allam Cycle,” said Hoeven. “By developing the Allam Cycle, EERC will help make carbon capture technology more commercially viable, which means we will be able to produce more energy from coal and with fewer emissions. We continue to work to advance this and other technology that will help secure the energy future of North Dakota and our nation.” 

Hoeven continues to work to advance technologies like the Allam Cycle, Project Tundra, carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) and others to help reduce emissions from both traditional and renewable energy sources. To this end, the senator worked to support DOE’s CCS and advanced coal technology programs in the annual appropriations bills for Fiscal Years 2017 and 2018. 

In addition, the senator recently introduced the CO2 Regulatory Certainty Act to align tax guidelines with existing federal regulations to ensure that developers of CCS projects can use the Section 45Q tax credit. The Senator also secured a first-of-its-kind approval for North Dakota to have regulatory primacy over Class VI injection wells, which are used for long-term storage of CO2.

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