09.16.15

Hoeven: UND Selected to Participate in DOE Feasibility Study

WASHINGTON – Senator John Hoeven, a member of the U.S. Senate Energy and Appropriations Committees, today announced that the Department of Energy (DOE) has selected the University of North Dakota (UND) to participate in a project that will study the feasibility of using salty water, or brine, from carbon dioxide (CO2) storage sites to produce fresh water. UND will also receive funding from the DOE to develop and validate methods to manage the pressure and flow of CO2 in saline formations through a Brine Extraction Storage Test. In doing so, brine can be extracted from the formation, separating fresh water.

“The University of North Dakota is a top-notch research institution that contributes to innovation not only in North Dakota but also across the nation,” Hoeven said. “The Department of Energy’s decision to include UND in this feasibility study reflects that, and will allow the university to embark on research that will help millions of people around the world who do not have access to water.”

In August, Hoeven announced that the U.S. Department of Energy awarded a $400,000 grant to the Energy & Environmental Research Center at UND to support the development of a safe and efficient intelligent monitoring system for the geological storage of carbon dioxide.

Last July, Hoeven also announced that UND won a $25,000 award in the General Electric and Statoil joint competition for energy innovations.

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