Image courtesy of Oneok.
The North Dakota Public Service Commission (PSC) has approved a siting permit for the expansion of the Bear Creek Gas Plant in Dunn County. The permit was approved during the commission’s April 11 meeting.
“Bear Creek is one of several gas processing projects under development in the state,” said commission chairman, Randy Christmann. “These projects will reduce flaring, take trucks off the roads, and create a lot of good jobs. This investment is clearly good news for the citizens of North Dakota.”
ONEOK Rockies Midstream is planning to expand the capacity of its existing Bear Creek Gas Plant from 80 million standard cubic feet per day to 175 million standard cubic feet per day. The plant will process wellhead natural gas from local crude oil production wells. Once processed, the Natural Gas Liquids (NGL) product will be sold and transported via NGL pipelines. Residue gas, largely methane and ethane, will be transferred to the Northern Border Pipeline. The full expansion, including the costs to build the existing plant, will result in a total investment of approximately $250 million.
“In addition to protecting the environment, new value-added projects like Bear Creek incent community-building jobs and further diversify North Dakota’s economic base,” said Commissioner Brian Kroshus. “The $250-million project provides yet another mechanism to improve gas capture rates in the Williston Basin, offset flaring and process raw feedstock into commercial products.”
All construction activities will occur within the previously developed footprint of the facility. The project is located approximately five miles north of Killdeer on a 76-acre site.
The North Dakota Public Service Commission is a constitutionally created state agency with authority to permit, site and regulate certain business activities in the state including electric and gas utilities, telecommunications companies, power plants, electric transmission lines, pipelines, railroads, grain elevators, auctioneers, commercial weighing devices, pipeline safety and coal mine reclamation.
For more information, contact the Public Service Commission at (701) 328-2400 or www.psc.nd.gov.