Energy Resources of North Dakota

  

 

• Petroleum (crude oil)
  • Petroleum is found in the Williston Basin in western North Dakota.
  • Oil is produced in 17 North Dakota counties.
  • North Dakota is the second leading petroleum producing state in the United States.
• Natural gas
  • Natural gas is found along with petroleum deposits in western North Dakota.
• Coal
  • Coal is the main energy source used for generating electricity. 
  • The kind of coal found in North Dakota is a very soft coal called lignite.
  • Lignite coal is mined in western North Dakota.
    • The supply of lignite in North Dakota is enough to last more than 800 years.

• Wind
  • North Dakota’s wind resources rank 6^th in the United States.
    • Wind farms are located in 20 North Dakota counties as of 2022.
• Geothermal
  • GeothermalGeo = earth; thermal = heat" means heat from the earth.
  • North Dakota has potential for using geothermal energy to produce electricity.
  • Geothermal energy can also be used to heat and cool buildings.
  • As of 2014, 1,017 residences and 441 businesses, churches or government buildings in North Dakota were being heated and cooled by shallow geothermal systems.
  • According to the National Renewable Laboratory, Western North Dakota has favorable locations for Deep Enhanced Geothermal Systems (ESG) technology development in the future.
    

    Photo courtesy of Bismarck State College National Energy Center of Excellence
  • Hydro
    • HydroelectricHydro = water power is electrical power produced by the movement of water.
    • The Garrison Dam is the only producer of hydroelectric power in North Dakota.
      

      Photo courtesy of Bismarck State College National Energy Center of Excellence
  • Solar
    • SolarSolar = sun power uses energy from the sun.
    • Some North Dakota farmers and ranchers use electricity produced from solar power to pump water for cattle to drink.
    • In 2020 Ottertail Power Company and Jamestown High School opened Blue Jay Solar to produce 40 KW of power. The project consists of 104 solar panels covering around ½ of an acre of land.
      • The electricity produced provides a significant amount of the power required for the building’s heat, lighting and cooing systems.
  • Biomass/Biofuels
    • BiomassBio = life includes all plant and animal matter.
    • Biofuels are fuels developed from living matter.
      • Ethanol and biodiesel are examples of biofuels.
        • North Dakota has six ethanol plants and one biodiesel plant.
        • In May of 2021 the Marathon Dickinson Refinery was redesigned to make Renewable Diesel from soybean oil and corn oil.
  • Recovered Energy
    • Recovered energy is also known as heat-recovery energy, or waste heat energy.
      • Hot exhaust is captured and used to create electricity.
        

Careers in the energy field:

• Approximately 50,000 North Dakota workers have jobs related to the energy industry. USEER 2022 - North Dakota (energy.gov)
• Most North Dakota colleges and universities have courses related to careers in energy fields. *See Career Information for more details.
• Energy careers are in high-demand. This means that there are many open positions in the field, and it is typically easier to find a job than other careers, such as psychology or architecture.
  • Many energy careers are high-wage jobs.
    • According to Job Service North Dakota, annual wages could be between $40,000 and $100,000 for machine and equipment operators, technicians, engineers, mechanical maintenance, and instrumentation and control professionals.