Natural gas conversion project near Williston also includes carbon capture

A rendering of a natural gas-to-liquids plant proposed at Trenton, North Dakota, by the Canadian company Cerilon. (Courtesy of Cerilon)

A proposed multi-billion dollar facility to turn natural gas from North Dakota’s oil fields into liquid products also includes plans for carbon capture and storage.

Canada-based Cerilon says its project in Williams County in northwest North Dakota will be the first large-scale, natural-gas fed gas-to-liquids facility to be built in North America.

The  project is the subject of a North Dakota Public Service Commission hearing Monday in Williston from 9 a.m. to noon at the Grand Williston Hotel & Conference Center. Cerilon GTL ND Inc. is seeking a siting permit from the PSC to build near Trenton, southwest of Williston.

The PSC hearing can be viewed on the agency’s website .

Summit’s carbon storage plans face strong objections at permit hearing

Williams County has approved a permit for the project but it also will need approval from the PSC and the North Dakota Department of Environmental Quality.

Cerilon said in an email to the North Dakota Monitor it has identified a number of sequestration sites in the area with suitable geology for underground carbon storage but a final location has not yet been selected. Cerilon said it is working with partners to design and build the CO2 pipeline and sequestration component of the project.

Cerilon said the captured CO2 could be used for enhanced oil recovery but its plan is for underground storage.

Cerilon has yet to begin the permit process for storing carbon.

Carbon capture and storage has become a much-debated topic in North Dakota. State Director of Mineral Resources Lynn Helms called last week’s hearing on the Summit Carbon Solutions Storage permit “one of the most contentious” he has seen.

Some landowners also have been vocally opposed to the pipeline portion of the Summit project, which requires PSC approval.

Helms also has said enhanced oil recovery is needed to extend the productivity of the Bakken Formation.

The Trenton project

A news release from PSC said the gas-to-liquids project at Trenton is planned to be built in two phases with the estimated cost of phase one at $3.2 billion. Phase two is expected to be comparable.

The company says phase one would result directly in about 100 jobs.

Cerilon has received state incentives for the project but it says a final decision to move forward would not come until mid-2026.

If built, Cerilon would turn natural gas into three hydrocarbon products:

• Base oils that can be used to increase engine efficiency and lower greenhouse gas emissions.
• GTL diesel, a biodegradable fuel that can be used in extremely cold climates with low emissions.
• GTL naphtha, a mixture of hydrocarbons that can be sold for further processing or used as a diluent for Canadian oil sands for pipeline transport.

Cerilon is based in Calgary, Alberta, a province that produces oil sands.

The Trenton facility would also be able to generate electricity to feed to the grid.

Cerilon says it selected the Trenton site because of its proximity to natural gas through the Northern Border Pipeline; rail and road access; proximity to the Cochin pipeline, a transportation option for naphtha; access to electrical power for startup and to supply excess electricity; and suitable geology for carbon capture and sequestration.

The post Natural gas conversion project near Williston also includes carbon capture appeared first on North Dakota Monitor .