North Dakota Approves Natural Gas, Renewable Diesel Pipeline Projects
The Dickinson Refinery is converting to produce a renewable diesel fuel.
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The North Dakota Public Service Commission approved two pipeline projects Wednesday: one for a new natural gas processing plant in Williams County and another for the Dickinson refinery.
The Williams County project involves two new pipelines that will extend from OE2 North’s Bill Sanderson Gas Processing Plant, which is located west of Williston. Both will connect to larger pipelines.
One of the proposed lines, with a length of 1.3 miles and a capacity of 80,000 barrels per day, is to carry natural gas liquids. The other is for residue gas, with a capacity of 250 million cubic feet per day and a length of 4.7 miles. The project is projected to cost $6 million, and the lines are expected to begin operating by the end of the year.
Construction on the processing plant began this spring and has continued over the course of the summer.
“They’ve made extraordinary progress,” Commissioner Randy Christmann said.
The PSC has also authorized two pipelines connected to Marathon Petroleum’s Dickinson Refinery to transport new liquids. The pipelines previously carried refined oil products and will now carry renewable diesel-related liquids. The pipelines run from the refinery to the Dickinson Rail Terminal in Stark County.
“The refinery, which is also known as the Dakota Prairie Refinery, is converting from processing oil to handling a liquid soybean and corn oil product. One of the pipelines will carry the liquid product from the rail terminal to the refinery, and the other will carry the refined renewable diesel to back to the terminal. From there, the renewable diesel will be shipped to markets across the country, particularly those in California, where it’s in demand due to the state’s low-carbon fuel standard,” Commissioner Julie Fedorchak said.
“They’re using our ag products, refining that into a fuel and submitting that to markets that have a demand for it,” Fedorchak added.
The pipelines need to be cleared and cleaned before the switch can take place, she said.
Source: The Bismark Tribune
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