North Dakota to go from black to blue on hydrogen

North Dakota energy infrastructure company Bakken Energy said August 16 it had plans to transform a commercial-scale coal gasification plant to become a cleaner hydrogen producer.

Bakken Energy said it reached an agreement with an area electric power cooperative, Basin Electric, on the key terms to buy the assets of Dakota Gasification Company, which owns the Great Plains Synfuels Plant in North Dakota.

Advertisement: The National Gas Company of Trinidad and Tobago Limited (NGC) NGC’s HSSE strategy is reflective and supportive of the organisational vision to become a leader in the global energy business. ngc.co.tt

Bakken Energy said that the plant “will be transformed into the largest and lowest-cost, clean hydrogen production facility in the United States.”

The coal gasification plant already produces around 160mn ft³/d per day of so-called syngas, which is composed of hydrogen, methane and harmful byproducts such as CO₂. The plant, however, already has carbon sequestration technology in place, delivering 8,000 metric tons/day of CO₂ to enhanced oil recovery fields in Saskatchewan.

The transformation will use a process called autothermal reforming, oxidizing a hydrocarbon feed, to yield hydrogen. That end product is considered blue hydrogen. Methane produced from coal is considered black on a color spectrum that characterises green hydrogen as the cleanest option.

North Dakota governor Doug Burgum, a Republican, said the transformation of the plant ran parallel to changes taking place in the state.

“(The) announcement that Bakken Energy has reached (an) agreement with Basin Electric on terms to develop a world-class clean hydrogen hub in North Dakota is of historical significance for our state and nation and heralds the extension of North Dakota being home to innovative leadership in fueling and feeding the world,” he said.

Bakken Energy, along with Mitsubishi Power, hinted at its plans to redevelop the synfuels plant in June. The redevelopment budget for a broader North Dakota hydrogen hub is expected to surpass $2bn.

Bakken Energy’s deal is expected to close by 2023 and the synfuels plant will continue existing operations through 2025.