After initial rejection, ND approves world’s largest CO2 pipeline

By Jeffrey Tomich | 11/18/2024 06:48 AM EST

The $8 billion Summit Carbon pipeline would move carbon dioxide gathered from 57 ethanol plants across the Upper Midwest.

A sign reading "No CO2, no eminent domain" stands along a rural road east of Bismarck, N.D.

A sign reading “No CO2, no eminent domain” stands along a rural road east of Bismark, North Dakota. Jack Dura/AP

North Dakota regulators on Friday approved part of a five-state, $8 billion carbon dioxide pipeline — a key win for developer Summit Carbon Solutions in its quest to build out the world’s largest CO2 storage and transportation network.

The decision comes just more than a year after the same Public Service Commission rejected Summit Carbon’s initial application, prompting the company to adjust the proposed route and seek reconsideration.

Friday’s order is the second major state approval secured by Summit Carbon this year after the Iowa Utilities Commission green-lighted it in June. Developers still lack authority to build in South Dakota, a key state that lies between North Dakota, where CO2 would be injected underground, and the majority of ethanol plants where CO2 would be gathered.

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Wade Boeshans, executive vice president of Summit Carbon, said in a statement that the North Dakota order is “a testament to North Dakota’s commitment to fostering innovation while working closely with communities and industries.”

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