Description
The Great Plains Synfuels Plant appears as a massive complex of pipes, towers and buildings on the rolling North Dakota prairie. This plant is actually much more: it is part of an American dream. The 1970s energy crisis spawned a vision of greater U.S. energy independence. Abundant lignite resources underlying the North Dakota plains held promise as a vast synthetic fuel source. The Synfuels plant began operating in 1984 and today produces more than 54 billion standard cubic feet of natural gas annually. Coal consumption exceeds 6 million tons each year.
Synthetic Natural Gas leaves the plant through a 2-foot-diameter pipeline, traveling 34 miles south. There it joins the Northern Border Pipeline, which transports the gas to four pipeline companies. These companies supply thousands of homes and businesses in the eastern United States.
In addition to natural gas, the Synfuels plant produces fertilizers, solvents, phenol, carbon dioxide, and other chemicals. Carbon dioxide is now part of an international venture for enhanced oil recovery in Canada.