Bismarck, North Dakota - News

TOM STROMME/Tribune Mark Perreault, 19, is working on a Conoco oil rig at the Nabors site 15 miles north of Killdeer near the base of the Killdeer Mountains. He said he chose to work in the oil fields in lieu of college to save some money. Perreault is originally from Rhode Island. He plans to be in North Dakota oil fields for the near future and will soon be moving to a rig going in at a site near Watford City.

North Dakota has an ambitious recipe to power up its future.

All of the ingredients are in our pantry.

No other state is so well stocked with wind, coal, oil, water, biomass crops, and even hydrogen technology. It's almost an embarrassment of resources, enough to stir up a rich and powerful stew.

From now through 2015, state leaders have a strategic vision to push development of those resources to a new level, using the ingredients in traditional and innovative ways.

North Dakota's energy production would rise exponentially. So would job opportunities, income for North Dakotans and tax revenue for state and local budgets. For example, if a proposed coal-to-liquid fuels plant gets built near Underwood, it alone could mean 1,000 jobs, among the biggest employment bases anywhere in the state.

That does not mean there will not be obstacles - political and environmental concerns, insufficient transmission lines and pipelines, sufficient capital.

The Empower North Dakota vision was developed by Gov. John Hoeven's administration.

Into the mix are going bi-partisan political support, financing, research and helpful ag and energy policies.

The vision is getting a going-over by a new, 14-member State Energy Policy Commission to see if the goals are reasonable, if they should be refreshed and what still needs doing to make them happen.

Shane Goettle, commissioner of the North Dakota Department of Commerce, said the vision will be a starting point for the energy commission. He's optimistic that the existing goals, or a hybrid of them, are achievable and that the state will become the country's lead energy producer.

These are North Dakota's energy goals in the Empower vision and the progress of each:

* New biodiesel plants to produce 135 million gallons by 2015: Presently, Archer Daniels Midland's canola biodiesel plant at Velva produces 85 million-gallons of biodiesel, sold primarily to BNSF Railway. Three other biodiesel plants, smaller in scale, are proposed for development within two years.

* Wind energy would make up 10 percent of all electricity produced in North Dakota by 2015: Wind energy already makes up 5 percent of the 4,925 megawatts made here mainly from coal and hydropower. Three new projects in Pierce, Dickey and Cavalier counties, plus commitments by Excel and Basin Electric Power Cooperative will bring wind power to 20 percent of the total by 2011.

* Goal to have 75 percent of the state's annual 353 million gallons of gasoline consumption be an ethanol blend:Presently, blended gallons account for 48 percent of North Dakota's consumption. New ethanol production of 100 million gallons from plants at Richardton and near Underwood will help meet the goal.

* One, possibly more clean coal, or new generation, power plants by 2012: Westmoreland Coal and Great Northern Power Development are each pursuing coal-fired power plants with new clean coal technology. Great Northern has filed transmission service requests for 500 new megawatts near South Heart. Westmoreland awaits an air quality permit and submitted a $100,000 filing fee with the Public Service Commission for a 500 megawatt project near Gascoyne.

* Build a coal-to-liquid fuel plant in North Dakota: Several partners under the name American Lignite Energy are putting together $50 million for front-end feasibility work on a plant to produce an array of engine fuels from lignite coal. The plant would be associated with Great River Energy's power plant near Underwood. A decision whether to continue is due in April.

* Exceed the state's historical peak oil production of nearly 150,000 barrels per day achieved in 1984: The most recent data show daily oil production is just shy of 125,000 barrels, up from 75,000 barrels daily in 2005.

* Commercialize hydrogen power in North Dakota: The Energy and Environmental Research Center and other partners recently opened a wind-to-hydrogen project near Minot, using wind energy to break water into hydrogen and oxygen and store the hydrogen for vehicle fuel.

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