August 14, 2026 - Project Tundra, a North Dakota-based initiative to capture carbon dioxide from coal-fired power generation, is moving forward with an updated development structure and expanded economic goals. Minnkota Power Cooperative recently announced a partnership with Reliant Carbon Capture & Storage, which will assume responsibility for developing, owning, and operating a carbon capture facility at the Milton R. Young Station near Center, North Dakota. The project aims to capture approximately 5 million tons of CO2 annually from the power plant using cryogenic carbon capture technology. Under the new arrangement, Minnkota will remain responsible for the CO2 storage activities and engagement with local landowners.

The captured CO2 will serve dual purposes: helping the utility meet strict environmental mandates and providing a valuable resource for North Dakota’s wider energy economy. Minnkota President and CEO Mac McLennan explained during a recent interview that the cooperative faces mounting regulatory pressures. “Today the law in the land is the coal units need to either figure out how to decarbonize or close by 2032,” McLennan said. He noted that additionally, half of the electricity Minnkota serves goes to Minnesota, which has passed a provision mandating carbon-free electricity by 2040.

A rendering of Project Tundra

Photo courtesy of Project Tundra on Facebook

Instead of treating the captured carbon merely as a waste product, Project Tundra plans to utilize the CO2 for enhanced oil recovery (EOR) operations in the Bakken oil fields. Industry research estimates that the region could eventually require up to 100 million tons of CO2 annually to maximize future oil production. “Can we take a product from our plants and help enhance oil recovery and drive the economy on the western side of the state, help us better respond at some potential point in the future or even today as we have people continuing to try to figure out how to manage living in a carbon-managed world,” McLennan said.

The timeline for such massive capital investments is extensive, with development taking years of planning before construction can be completed. Shifting regulatory landscapes have historically complicated this planning process, forcing Minnkota to repeatedly adapt its approach. However, by partnering with Reliant, the project brings in an exclusive channel partner for established cryogenic technology, allowing the effort to proceed toward an anticipated final investment decision in 2027.

Ultimately, project leaders believe carbon capture is essential to maintaining grid reliability as electricity demand increases from the digital economy, AI data centers, and the reshoring of manufacturing. McLennan expressed optimism that technology can keep legacy baseload power plants viable and environmentally responsible. “If technologically we can find solutions like carbon capture on a coal unit… that gives multiple fuel sources a chance to still be part of the mix,” he said.