08.22.16

Hoeven Joins Minnkota, Allete, BNI Energy, EERC Representatives in Advancing Project Tundra

Senator Helps Formalize Partnership to Advance Clean Coal Technologies

WASHINGTON – Senator John Hoeven today joined representatives from Minnkota Power Cooperative, Allete Clean Energy, BNI Energy and the University of North Dakota’s (UND) Energy and Environmental Research Center (EERC) to sign a memorandum of understanding (MOU) and formalize their partnership for Project Tundra, a clean coal technology project.

Project Tundra aims to develop next-generation, advanced, full-plant scrubbing technologies to retrofit existing plants to capture CO2, which can then be sequestered or used in enhanced oil recovery.

The MOU was signed by Al Rudeck, President of Allete Clean Energy, Mac McLennan, President & CEO of Minnkota Power Cooperative, Inc., Wade Boeshans, President and General Manager of BNI Energy and John Harju, the EERC’s Vice President for Strategic Partnerships.

“We’re working to secure funding to help advance new clean coal technologies,” said Hoeven. “That includes $30 million in the Energy and Water Appropriations Bill to advance projects, like Project Tundra, that will enable us to create more energy with better environmental stewardship. This memorandum today formalizes the partnership on Project Tundra and brings together Minnkota and Allete expertise with the EERC’s innovative research to develop the clean coal technologies of the future.”

As a member of the Senate Energy and Water Appropriations Committee, Hoeven worked to secure $30 million in funding to help develop commercially viable carbon capture and sequestration, like Project Tundra, in the Senate’s Fiscal Year 2017 Energy and Water Appropriations Bill, which the Senate passed in May.

Earlier this month, Hoeven arranged a meeting between North Dakota energy industry leaders and U.S. Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz to encourage the Energy Department to partner with the state’s industry to develop and implement commercially-viable clean coal technologies and to make the case for the Energy Department to support Project Tundra as well as an Allam Cycle pilot project to develop technologies for new power plants.

Hoeven also serves as a member of the Senate Energy Committee, where he continues working to advance the development and deployment of innovative technologies to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of the nation’s energy development. To this end, the senator worked to pass the Energy Policy Modernization Act of 2016, which includes legislation authored and introduced by Hoeven to help streamline energy regulations and address common problems faced by energy producers and consumers.

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