NextEra pulls effort to develop fertilizer plant in Spiritwood, ND, area
Mar. 19—Editor's note: This story was updated to include comments from Jamestown/Stutsman Development Corp. CEO Corry Shevlin.
JAMESTOWN — NextEra Energy Resources has pulled its effort to develop a fertilizer plant in the Spiritwood area.
"As a result of ongoing evaluation of the current market conditions and the final Treasury guidance on the hydrogen production tax credit, NextEra Energy Resources Development, LLC, (NextEra Development) has concluded that it will no longer pursue the Spiritwood Hydrogen Project," said Megan Murphy Salyer, strategic communications leader for NextEra Energy Resources, in an email to The Jamestown Sun. "Over the past two decades, NextEra Energy Resources has invested nearly $4 billion in North Dakota and remains a long-standing investor in the state's energy infrastructure. NextEra Energy Resources continues to advance new power generation projects in the state and looks forward to the opportunity for continued investment in North Dakota communities."
Rep. Mike Brandenburg, R-Edgeley, said NextEra wanted to do the $1.3 billion project but it wasn't financially functional for the company.
"What caused it was the federal part of the project dealing with that ... instead of recognizing 100% of production, they only recognized 50% of production," he said. "So at the last minute, the last administration pulled the plug ... and said they would only recognize 50% of their energy that they have, and so that killed the electrolysis portion of it."
Jamestown/Stutsman Development Corp. CEO Corry Shevlin said in an email that NextEra's business proposition has to make senses for everyone involved.
"With changing federal regulation that didn't seem to be the case anymore," he said.
He said a local fertilizer plant would have been "fantastic" for agriculture producers in the region.
"We will continue to explore opportunities for that to be the case," Shevlin said.
NextEra was looking to use electrolysis to make anhydrous ammonia using carbon dioxide emissions from Spiritwood Station, Dakota Spirit ethanol plant and Green Bison Soy Processing to make urea fertilizer, Brandenburg told The Jamestown Sun in May 2023.
NextEra was looking to install up to 285 wind turbines in Stutsman and LaMoure counties, which would have powered a hydrogen facility, The Sun reported in June 2023.
Brandenburg said he learned about NextEra pulling its efforts to develop a fertilizer plant at the beginning of the legislative session.
"They came in right away at the beginning of session because they had commitments on the books and they told leadership and told the Legislature up here because those are committed dollars," he said. "So the Legislature knew that the committed dollars were no longer needed, and so they were taken off the books."
The North Dakota Legislature earmarked a $125 million forgivable loan for a project if it would have been constructed in the state.
"There's been no money spent; nothing was given out," Brandenburg said. "It was a good effort, but because of what happened at the federal level, it didn't comply. It didn't work."
He said the $125 million for the forgivable loan was committed to the Bank of North Dakota and now can be used for something else.
"It took the commitment away by the state and made some other things available, which have not been designated at this point," he said.
Brandenburg said not having the fertilizer plant means it will make the reliance on foreign fertilizer more expensive. He said fertilizer prices have come down.
"The farm economy with the lower prices, it doesn't sustain those higher prices so you're seeing a pullback," he said.
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