Out of state critics won't shake support for Project Tundra

By Mac McLennan, Minnkota Power Cooperative President and CEO

Any bold effort in today’s society comes with its own set of critics. That’s certainly the case with Project Tundra – Minnkota’s plan to build one of the world’s largest carbon capture projects at a North Dakota power plant. Unfortunately, those critics – mostly from out of state – played an outsized role in an article published by the North Dakota News Cooperative, which also appeared in many of the state’s major media publications in mid-July.

It was disappointing that, outside of Minnkota, only individuals and institutions that oppose the project were selected to provide an assessment of its technology, economics and overall value. There was no reference to the dozens of industry-leading experts working directly on the project. No mention of the immense support we’ve received from our member cooperatives and the electric consumers in our region. And a fundamental lack of understanding of the landowners and community members around the power plant who recognize the importance of the good-paying jobs and economic activity generated by the industry – and the potential opportunities carbon capture and storage provides. It takes all these people working together, as well as broad bipartisan support at the state and federal level, to make this project possible. It is a North Dakota story that was told in part by people who view North Dakota as an afterthought.

As Project Tundra continues to see success, efforts to influence public opinion on carbon capture and storage will only continue to grow. The implied alternative to Project Tundra is to simply shut down our most reliable and resilient coal plant in favor of wind, solar and batteries. It’s an intellectually dishonest argument, especially as North America’s grid operators and regulators warn of the increasing risk of rolling blackouts due to insufficient resources. While 42% of Minnkota’s generation capacity is already derived from carbon-free wind and hydro, we recognize that our coal plants provide that necessary backbone to our system. Even after decades of operation, these facilities continue to reach new milestones for reliability and operating performance.

Needless to say, we take our responsibility as an essential service provider seriously – especially in a region that must manage harsh conditions from 110-degree summer days to 50-below-zero winter nights. If electricity isn’t available during these critical times, the region’s consumers won’t be calling East Coast think tanks, West Coast special interest groups or faraway college professors. They’ll be turning to Minnkota and its member cooperatives – the same organizations they’ve relied on for more than 80 years. We were formed many decades ago by rural North Dakotans and Minnesotans, and we still exist today to improve their quality of life.

As a not-for-profit electric cooperative, we aren’t risktakers or gamblers. We are putting the proper protections in place to ensure the electric rate impacts associated with Project Tundra are minimal or nonexistent. The project will use the same basic federal tax credit structures that renewable energy projects have leveraged since the 1990s. We’re taking the necessary time to ensure the engineering work is completed and thoroughly reviewed. We’re navigating an entirely new world of supply chain challenges with caution and common sense. As we approach a final decision on the project in early 2024, we’re managing the associated risks responsibly.

As for the critics, we’re left with a disheartening contradiction: Many of the same people pushing for immediate reductions in carbon emissions are also directly opposing Minnkota’s efforts to become one of the fastest decarbonizing utilities in the nation.

While there is still much work ahead of us to get Project Tundra to the finish line, the list of North Dakotans who believe in this project is far greater than the detractors. That’s what matters to us.