Senator John Hoeven, a member of the Senate Energy and Water Development Appropriations Committee, today announced that Project Tundra, a carbon capture, utilization and storage (CCUS) effort led by Minnkota Power Cooperative, has received an initial $4.2 million from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). The funds come as part of a $350 million award Hoeven secured for the project last year, with Hoeven having:
- Worked to fund DOE’s Carbon Capture Demonstration Projects Program.
- Led the North Dakota delegation in outlining the benefits of the project to DOE.
- Previously secured $43 million in federal funding for the project, as well as loan guarantees and the 45Q tax credit necessary to make the CCUS projects commercially viable.
“Every day, our nation relies on affordable baseload power that is available 24/7, regardless of weather. Project Tundra is about implementing new technologies to ensure a future for critical baseload power sources like coal,” said Hoeven. “We’ve worked to put the tools in place to move this and other CCUS efforts forward on a commercially-viable basis. Today’s award, which is the first distribution from the $350 million of funding we secured last year, is an important milestone as Project Tundra progresses through its final stage of development.”
The initial award comes as part of Hoeven’s efforts to advance Project Tundra to provide a way forward for the state’s coal-fired electric industry and ensure the affordability and reliability of the electric grid. Last year, Minnkota announced that Project Tundra had entered its final stage of development as new affiliates, including TC Energy, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and Kiewit, were added to build the project.
