New pipeline to benefit Zeeland School




The Zeeland School District, already the envy of other rural districts because of its tax revenue from natural gas facilities, will get a revenue boost if the proposed WBI Energy Wind Ridge natural gas pipeline is built.

WBI Energy Wind Ridge Pipeline LLC has proposed the pipeline project to deliver natural gas to a CHS Inc. fertilizer plant at Spiritwood near Jamestown.

The CHS Board of Directors approved final plans for the approximately $3 billion nitrogen fertilizer project at its September meeting. Groundbreaking will take place following completion of additional details, with the plant intended to be fully operational in the first half of 2018. When complete, the plant will employ 160 to 180 people.

The 95-mile, 16-inch pipeline would tie into Northern Border’s pipeline near Zeeland where Northern Border has a natural gas compressor station.

As proposed, the pipeline will cross McIntosh, Logan,

LaMoure and Stutsman Counties.

The project will need approval by state and federal agencies, including the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.

ORMAT built a wasteheat recovery system at the compressor station site in 2009 to generate electricity. The ORMAT plant added to the revenue already going to the Zeeland district from Northern Border.

Tim Rasmussen, a spokesperson for WBI Energy, said the estimated cost of the pipeline is $120 million. The project will involve up to 400 construction workers. If the regulatory process moves along as hoped, construction would begin mid-summer 2016 and conclude in early 2017.

Rasmussen said the pipeline would be built in an “assembly-line” process, starting with clearing the path followed by trenching, laying the pipe, welding and restoring the land to its original contours. Land over a pipeline can be used as it was in the past, once construction is completed.

He said about 95 percent of the route has been surveyed, and WBI Energy representatives will begin acquiring easements from land owners in the next couple of weeks.

WBI Energy held three public open houses last week in Wishek, Gackle and Jamestown. In total, 140 people attended the three meetings. Rasmussen said they heard strong support of the pipeline project from the attendees with the majority of questions seeking detailed information about the project and the process.

According to Rasmussen, there will be no permanent jobs involved in operating the completed pipeline. He said it will be patrolled regularly and operated remotely with electronic equipment at WBI Energy headquarters in Bismarck.

WBI Energy Wind Ridge Pipeline LLC is an affiliate of WBI Energy Transmission, which is based in Bismarck and is part of MDU Resources Group.



Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.