Stalled Carbon Project Finds New Life, New Cash

Minnkota Power Cooperative brings in Reliant Carbon Capture Storage and $205 million in loans to revive its stalled North Dakota project

25 Aug 2026

A long-stalled North Dakota carbon capture project just found new legs. Minnkota Power Cooperative has restructured its Project Tundra partnership, naming Reliant Carbon Capture Storage as lead developer. Out go TC Energy, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, and Kiewit. Reliant will design, own, and run the carbon capture and delivery system at the Milton R. Young Station near Center, North Dakota.

Money followed the announcement fast. On August 18, North Dakota's Clean Sustainable Energy Authority recommended $205 million in loans to back the venture, a signal that state officials see real promise in the retooled plan.

Cost was the real driver behind the swap. Ben Fladhammer, Minnkota's senior manager of communications, told the Grand Forks Herald that Reliant's modular design would simplify construction and cut through the complexity that bogged down earlier phases. Simpler engineering could be the difference between a project that finally breaks ground and one that stalls again.

Reliant's leadership sounds confident. "We are proud to expand Reliant's role in Project Tundra and to bring our carbon-capture project development expertise to the Milton R. Young Station," McCarthy said. Fresh financing paired with a leaner build plan gives the project momentum it hasn't had in years.

The stakes reach beyond one power plant. If carbon capture works at a coal facility that's still running, it proves aging fossil-fuel infrastructure can be retrofitted rather than shut down outright. Regional energy consumers and industrial users stand to benefit from that flexibility.

State backing adds another layer of credibility. Loan support from North Dakota policymakers suggests they view Project Tundra as more than a science experiment. It's an economic bet worth protecting, and one other states may watch closely.

Momentum now looks stronger than at any point in the project's rocky history. A successful build here could become the template other coal-dependent regions use to chase similar retrofits. For an industry under pressure to cut emissions without losing power capacity, that kind of proof of concept carries weight far past North Dakota's border.