U.S. Energy Secretary tours Dakota Gasification plant
By Lee Coleman
The U.S. Department of Energy came to North Dakota last Friday as part of a series of meetings the Obama administration is holding across the nation to examine energy issues and help the administration develop a strong national policy for energy infrastructure.
U.S. Senator Heidi Heitkamp reached out to DOE and asked U.S. Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz to hold a meeting in North Dakota since the state is at the forefront of energy development.
Following the Quarennial Energy Review meeting in Bismarck Friday morning, Heitkamp, along with U.S. Senator John Hoeven, hosted Secretary Moniz on a tour of the Dakota Gasification Great Plains Synfuels [DGC]facility in Beulah Friday afternoon.
Already known as a one-of-a-kind clean coal plant that uses carbon capture and sequestration technology, the tour was designed to give the Secretary a better understanding of the real-world impacts of the Energy Department’s policy decisions on coal.
“Of course, principally, the Bakken is driving the prosperity in North Dakota,” said Secretary Moniz in an exclusive interview with the Hazen Star. “Hopefully, more gas will help drive the power plants as well as the industrial plants. With the wind development here helping drive electricity, on the coal side, we’re talking about developing the technology that can, in fact, enable coal to play a role in low carbon emissions by getting the cost reduction by using the carbon dioxide as a valuable product for enhanced oil recovery.
