A new report from the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) warns that more than half of the United States is at risk of electricity shortages this winter due to regional generation shortfalls, increased demand and possible fuel delivery issues during prolonged cold weather events.

NERC’s Winter Reliability Assessment shows a large portion of the North American bulk power system (BPS) is at risk of insufficient electricity supplies during peak winter conditions.

"Prolonged, wide-area cold snaps threaten the reliable performance of BPS generation and the availability of fuel supplies for natural-gas-fired generation," the report states. "As observed in recent winter reliability events, over 20% of generating capacity has been forced off-line when freezing temperatures extend over parts of North America that are not typically exposed to such conditions."

There is some good news in the report. It indicates that the Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO), which delivers power to much of North Dakota, has increased available generation resources this winter by more than 9 gigawatts from 2022 thanks to new wind and natural-gas-fired generation and the extension of some older coal-fired plants power plants. MISO recently implemented a seasonal resource adequacy model that more effectively values risks and resource contributions that vary by time of year. But like prior years, an extreme cold-weather event that extends into MISO’s southern areas can cause generator outages from inadequate weatherization or insufficient natural gas fuel supplies.

In the Southwest Power Pool (SPP), which delivers electricity to most North Dakota rural electric cooperatives, the power reserve margin of 38.8 percent is more than 30 percentage points lower than last winter. The report said it is driven by higher forecasted peak demand and less resource capacity.

"While the reserve margin is adequate for normal forecasted peak demand and expected generator outages, higher demand levels and outages that have occurred during extreme cold weather result in shortfalls that can trigger energy emergencies," the report states. "The vast wind resources in the area can alleviate firm capacity shortages under the right conditions; however, energy risks emerge during periods of low wind or forecast uncertainty and high electricity demand."

NERC’s assessment “again shows that our nation faces looming grid reliability challenges while demand for electricity continues to soar,” said Jim Matheson, CEO of the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association. “That’s unacceptable and should be cause for concern for all Americans.”

NERC’s report warned of rolling blackouts similar to those experienced last winter in the Southeast and portions of the Northeast and expressed concern about potential reserve shortages impacting consumers in Texas served by ERCOT. The risks are magnified by the Environmental Protection Agency’s proposed carbon rule, which would force the shutdown of coal and natural-gas generation by 2040 unless equipment is installed to capture carbon dioxide emissions.

“Policies like the EPA's recent power plant proposal will magnify today’s reliability challenges with grave consequences for an already stressed grid,” said Matheson. “I don’t think EPA thought about electric reliability as it drafted this rule.”

Click here to read or download NERC’s 46-page Winter Reliability Assessment.

With multiple projects underway or on the drawing board in North Dakota to capture, transport, store or use carbon dioxide, the state wants the public and would-be entrepreneurs to know more about the potential benefits available in the developing industry.

To create greater awareness of the opportunities, the 2023 Legislature appropriated $100,000 each to the Oil and Gas Research Council, the Lignite Research Council, and the Renewable Energy Council to provide a grant for the education effort. Reice Haase, deputy director of the ND Industrial Commission, said discussion about business opportunities involving CO2 cuts across all three research councils.

Click here to listen to Haase's comments.

Each research program has a similar process for accepting grant applications, including a similar application, technical review, council recommendation and submitting its project endorsements to the Industrial Commission. The NDIC, at its October 31 meeting, approved a motion authorizing a special grant round of the combined councils "for the purpose of soliciting proposals to conduct carbon capture and utilization education and marketing," and that it would only consider applications that receive a positive recommendation from all three research councils.

Grant application details have not yet been issued. Haase said the Industrial Commission hopes to make the grant award in January or February 2024.

A heavy, late-October snowfall short-circuited work on the widening of Highway 85 to four lanes between Watford City and the LongX Bridge, but officials with the ND Department of Transportation say progress on the $77.2 million project is about where they expected it would be when winter shuts it down.

Bill Gathman, project engineer for the NDDOT's Northwest District, said most of the work this year involved grading, installation of drainage structures and ensuring the stability of the road surface in rugged terrain. But Gathman said crews were also able to lay down gravel road base in a portion of the project and some paving work was completed.

"We got a couple miles paved, but traffic's not going to be put on that section this winter, so traffic is going to stay where it is right now and where it's been all year," he said. "The pavement we have left to put down is in that Badlands area, basically the south end the job."

Gathman said remaining construction this fall will concentrate on shoulder work on the section of highway up the hill north of the LongX Bridge.

"We did some shoulder work in there, and then of course the storm came in, so they haven't had a chance to get it back in yet," he said. "Their plans moving forward are to get those shoulders paved back in going up the hill, so that we can get our widths back so we can have a passing lane going northbound. If we can get that part buttoned up, we'll just have some signage and stuff left to do so we should be in pretty good shape."

Gathman said despite a weather forecast that promises another week or two of mild fall weather, not much additional work can be done because of the moisture left behind by the early snow. 

"It's gonna be tough to do any work in mud and wet conditions," he said. "At this point we just need to get paved what we can pave to get it buttoned up because our dry days are over. Our construction days are essentially over, it's just too wet."

The 10.3-mile project is expected to be open to traffic in the fall of 2024. Preliminary efforts are also underway for the next leg of the four-lane expansion, which will run from the LongX Bridge south to Highway 200 near Grassy Butte.

By Kim Jarrett | The Center Square

Just days after the Biden administration named North Dakota and other states as one of seven regional hydrogen hubs, the Department of Commerce was fielding calls.

"When I mentioned we were already fielding calls from other companies, part of it is not necessarily producers or even the users," Tom Oakland, Energy and Economic Coordination Office Manager for the department, told The Center Square. "It's manufacturers. If you think about it, the amount of infrastructure required to build all of these projects and the equipment that goes with it, is very expensive. And now that we have this hub award coming, those manufacturers have the map to look at as far as where they may want to locate."

The Biden administration chose the Heartland Hydrogen Hub to receive up to $925 million in funding for the project.

The project is predicted to create about 3,800 jobs in the region. The University of North Dakota's Energy and Environmental Research Center, known as the EERC, oversees the project that includes Minnesota, Montana, South Dakota and Wisconsin.

"Like anything, we can produce as much energy as we want but if we don't have partners in neighboring states that utilize it, there's not much reason to do it because we are exporting a lot of our energy to users across the Midwest," Oakland said.

The EERC is partnering with Marathon Petroleum Corporation, TC Energy, and Xcel Energy. The hub consists of "multiple clean hydrogen production facilities, uses, and connective infrastructure and would produce commercial-scale quantities of clean hydrogen at a rate considerably exceeding DOE’s minimum requirement," according to the EERC.

The Heartland Hydrogen Hub would help "decarbonize the agricultural sector’s production of fertilizer."

"Energy and agriculture are two biggest sectors that are industries in the state of North Dakota," Oakland said. "The hydrogen, or ammonia, is essential to our farmers across the state. And I think that jumping into hydrogen production, or ammonia production, or zero carbon production methods is going to be a major player in keeping our agricultural producers competitive in the long term."

The Commerce Department is sorting through the phone calls and making introductions between the companies or entities to make the buildout of the infrastructure "as efficient and economical as possible," Oakland said.

The Department of Commerce is offering $12.5 million in grants to communities and organizations throughout North Dakota to support innovative solutions to address the state's workforce shortage.

Funding was approved by the 2023 Legislature to assist recruitment and retention effort through the Regional Workforce Impact Program (RWIP). The RWIP will provide grants to regional workforce entities in North Dakota to design and implement innovative plans to address their region’s most demanding workforce challenges. It is designed to encourage regions and communities to develop creative solutions to help businesses find workers, and help workers and jobseekers connect to jobs and communities.

To ensure equitable access to grant funding, the total will be split among eight regions based on population data from the 2020 census. Applicants are required to demonstrate 25 percent match for each project. Solutions must address the region’s most immediate workforce challenges. To qualify, proposals must fall under at least one of the following categories:  

• Talent recruitment for businesses and communities to attract employees and retain students - cap of $250,000  
• Retention - cap of $250,000
• Infrastructure investments that directly relate to the proposed workforce solution – cap of $500,000  
• Infrastructure investments that expand a childcare center - cap of $500,000
• Capital investments, capital purchases for new or renovated space - cap of $500,000

Click here to read the grant guidance document. Click here to apply.

The US Senate this week approved a Congressional Review Act resolution that seeks to overturn a recent Biden administration rule temporarily waiving the "Buy America" requirements for electric vehicle chargers funded by the 2021 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. 

Earlier this year, the Federal Highway Administration issued a rule that waived Buy America domestic content requirements for some components in federally-funded EV chargers through July 2024. The resolution seeks to nullify the rule, keeping in place the requirement that federally-funded EV components be made in the United States. 

The resolution required a simple majority in both chambers to pass, which it did on a 50-48 vote in the Senate. North Dakota Senators Kevin Cramer and John Hoeven both voted for the resolution. 

"Today’s vote was a vote to hold the Biden administration to their own standards," Cramer said. "Somehow their electric-at-any-cost agenda supersedes their desire to support American producers and manufacturers. They haven’t even attempted to explain their double standard."

“Waiving the Buy America requirements will allow our adversaries like China to benefit from federal subsidies,” said Senator John Hoeven. “I voted for this CRA to keep in place the Buy America requirements that will help ensure that these components are built in the U.S. and prevent federal dollars from going to our adversaries.”

An official with the North Dakota Department of Transportation testified at a US Senate hearing this week on highway safety, promoting the state's Vision Zero program to reduce roadway fatalities, and expressing concern about a US DOT proposal to require speed limiters on trucks.

Karin Mongeon, NDDOT's Safety Division Director, described the Vision Zero program, which aims to reduce motor vehicle crash fatalities and serious injuries to zero. Since North Dakota launched the initiative in 2018, Mongeon said vehicle fatalities have been on a steady decline. She said North Dakota ended 2022 with a total of 98 fatalities, the lowest number of crash deaths in about 20 years.

Click here to listen to Mongeon's comments.

Mongeon noted the 2023 Legislature's passage of a primary seatbelt law that took effect in August as one of the factors the state expects will help further reduce the number of traffic deaths. In response to a question about a US DOT proposal to limit the speed of heavy trucks to 65 mph, Mongeon said NDDOT is concerned about increasing the speed differential between trucks and other vehicles.

Click here to listen to Mongeon's comments.

Legislation introduced earlier this year by Oklahoma Congressman Josh Brecheen would prohibit the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration from issuing a rule requiring trucks to be equipped with speed limiting devices. Brecheen called speed-limiter legislation "overreach by the Biden Administration" with the "potential to negatively impact all facets of the agricultural and trucking industries."

Click here to read Mongeon's written testimony. Click here and advance to the 9:05 mark to watch video of the hearing of the EPW Subcommittee on Transportation and Infrastructure.

Potential implementation of autonomous trucks in North Dakota and the Northern Great Plains is the focus of a new research project at NDSU's Upper Great Plains Transportation Institute. 

The two-year project, led by UGPTI director Denver Tolliver, is funded by a $750,000 grant from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration and will explore various deployment options, routes and practices and quantify the safety, regulatory, energy, environmental and economic impacts of autonomous trucking.

“We’re already seeing autonomous trucks on roads in the southwestern United States, and they could soon be implemented across the United States,” Tolliver said. “To maximize the benefits and minimize any disruptive effects of autonomous trucking, it will be important for motor carriers, shippers, the traveling public, and transportation and safety enforcement agencies to be prepared for this impending change.”

For much of the year, characteristics of trucking may make the region attractive for implementing the technology, Tolliver said. Grain and sugar beet harvests result in intense trucking operations during a relatively short period in the fall. Similarly, hydraulic fracturing operations used in oil and gas production require concentrated movements of inputs to well sites. The truck movements pose unique safety concerns on rural roads, while the reliability and efficiency of those economic sectors are critically important to the rural economy.

“We’ll be looking at how implementation of various levels of autonomous truck technology may be able to address those unique challenges,” Tolliver said. “We will not only be addressing perceived safety concerns related to the use of autonomous trucks through education and outreach efforts, but we also will examine ways that self-driving trucks can enhance safety in rural areas.”

According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, only 19% of the U.S. population lives in rural areas, but more than 45% of all roadway fatalities occur on rural roads. USDOT also notes that nearly half of all truck vehicle miles traveled occur on rural roads. Human factors such as boredom, distractions, poor judgment and slow reaction times can be eliminated with autonomous trucks. Similarly, they can decrease stopping distances, avoid rear-end collisions, prevent lane and roadway departures, and eliminate high-risk behavior at rail grade crossings. 

As a first step in the project, the researchers are assembling a project advisory team that will include representatives from the U.S. DOT’s regional field offices, the ND Highway Patrol, the ND Department of Transportation, commercial motor carriers, industry associations that are dependent on motor carrier transportation in rural areas, tribal officials, and technology providers that retrofit, sell, and support autonomous truck operations. 

“Input from those team members will make sure we address the major issues associated with autonomous trucking in rural areas and help us identify both challenges and opportunities,” Tolliver said.

Dickinson's dinosaur museum, a downtown public plaza in Minot, and trails and western heritage facilities in Medora are among more than a dozen projects that have received a total of $25 million of matching grants through the ND Commerce Department to create new attractions in North Dakota communities.

Governor Doug Burgum proposed $50 million for the Destination Development grant program in his budget recommendation for the 2023-25 biennium, and the legislature approved half that amount. Commerce received applications for 81 projects in 42 communities requesting more than $151 million in funding. 

Projects that received funding include:

Expanding the dinosaur and Badlands museum exhibits in Dickinson - The Dickinson Museum Center expansion project was awarded $1 million to expand the museum center. The expanded gallery will provide room for additional exhibits, activities and field studies. The award was 5% of the total project. 

Creating a public plaza as part of Minot downtown redevelopment - Minot’s project includes: Atypical Bier Hall, The James Hotel, Union Silo Public Art Project, Aurora restaurant, Junction Market and Eatery, Hidden Agenda and Citizens Alley. The $1 million grant was awarded to support the Citizen’s 33Alley portion of the project which will create a pedestrian-only public plaza that will include outdoor amenities comprised of a turf activity lawn (ice in winter), fountain and splash pad, public art, a mobile stage, area for concessions and additional pieces of the proposal. The funds will make up 3.7% of the total project.

Creating a recreation trail with pavilions near the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library in Medora - The Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library will use funds for the construction of free recreation trails, paths and pavilions around the grounds of the library and connecting area features such as the Maah Daah Hey Trail, the Chateau de Mores and the Medora Musical. The $4 million award is 1% of the total project. 

Expanding the Western heritage of Medora through the development of a new rodeo grounds - Western Heritage Initiative was awarded $4 million and encompasses the construction of several key facilities, including a rodeo grandstand and main arena, an entrance to the arena, a practice arena, horse stalls, campsites and a learning center in Medora. The percentage funded of the total project is 23%. 

Expanding lodging at Lake Sakakawea - Indian Hills is a resort on Lake Sakakawea west of Garrison and south of Parshall. $200,000 was awarded and will be used for the construction of a multi-room lodge (Arrowhead Lodge) intended for group and family rentals. The percentage funded of the total project is 40%. 

Providing stability to skiing operations in Bottineau - Bottineau Winter Park was awarded $1,450,000, which is 50% of the total project. Funds will be used to completely replace the snowmaking system to assure a longer season for skiers, snowboarders and sledders. 

“We are making tourism business development a priority at Commerce by recognizing the value new attractions provide, not only by attracting visitors and spending but also by improving our quality of life,” said Commerce Commissioner Josh Teigen. “These project applications will help us further refine how we can support the development of tourism to help diversify our economy.” 

Click here to learn more about other projects that received grants.

Gov. Doug Burgum and Lt. Gov. Tammy Miller announced this week that the new North Dakota State Laboratory will be built in the northeast area of the Capitol grounds.

The facility will be shared by the laboratory services divisions of the Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of Environmental Quality. The 2021 Legislature approved $15 million for planning and design of a new lab, and the 2023 Legislature approved an additional $55 million to replace the existing facility, which is nearly 50 years old and faces ongoing infrastructure challenges.

“By siting the new state laboratory on the Capitol grounds, we’re eliminating the need to purchase land, qualifying the building for lower utility rates and providing efficiencies through the lab’s proximity to DHHS in the Capitol’s Judicial Wing,” said Miller, who chairs the Capitol Grounds Planning Commission.

The state lab assists laboratories throughout the state with consultation and training for the safe handling and testing of samples regarding germs or poisons. It also ensures compliance with federal regulations. The state lab tests for various infectious diseases and supports water quality monitoring, mosquito/tick surveillance activities and investigational responses to natural or man-made disasters, such as sampling and testing water after a flood to ensure it’s safe to drink.

Construction is expected to begin in April 2024 and be completed in June 2026. The 100,000-square-foot, $70 million lab will be operated by about 50 employees from DHHS and DEQ.

High resolution cameras on WDEA's Wise Roads weather stations capture images not only of great scenery, wildlife and the ag and energy industry in action, they also do a pretty good job of documenting the changing seasons in North Dakota. This week's shots feature photos of the seasonal transition from the Poker Jim station in southwestern McKenzie County. Photos from Wise Roads cameras are updated continuously throughout the daylight hours on the Wise Roads web page.

The Wise Roads project (Weather Information System to Effectively Reduce Oilfield Delays and Disruptions) was developed by WDEA to increase the efficiency of the movement of oilfield truck traffic. Most weather stations were placed in the core area of Bakken production, focusing on Dunn, McKenzie, Mountrail and Williams Counties. The project provides more accurate weather information to county road managers, especially about rain events, to minimize the need to impose weight restrictions when gravel roads get wet. It was developed in partnership with NDAWN, which maintains the stations for WDEA. The project was also assisted with a $250,000 grant from the Oil & Gas Research Council.

Thus far, 50 new stations have been installed, 39 of which are located in the four core counties. Prior to the start of the project, Dunn and McKenzie Counties had just one station each, Mountrail County had three and Williams County had four. Weather station data and high-resolution photos can be found at wiseroadsnd.com. Additional information is also available from NDAWN. 

Featured shots are all from Poker Jim, beginning clockwise from upper left, August 29 on a foggy late summer morning; a couple weeks later September 15 the leaves begin to change color; less than a week after that September 21 the fall colors have erupted; one month later October 24, the trees have lost their leaves as the first winter storm approaches; the following day October 25, the snow has arrived; but a couple weeks later November 7, the snow has mostly melted and beautiful fall weather returns. Click on the date for a high-resolution image.

Hat tip to Jesse Kolar for suggesting this collage, and to Daryl Ritchison for filling in a few photos.