Synfuels Plant Addition | Video

Jennifer Joas | 6/28/2012

The Great Plains Synfuels Plant near Beulah is seeing more of a demand for a fertilizer by-product it produces.

The plant mostly turns coal into natural gas. But while going through that process, it produces a variety of other chemicals; one of them being anhydrous ammonia.

This is used as a fertilizer for cropland. The plant is building a second storage facility for this by-product.

The Basin Electric Spokesman says these by-products are economically vital to the company`s operations.

"Anhydrous ammonia is about one of eight by-products that were developed over the course of the past many years as revenue stream, a revenue stream that provides sort of a financial hedge against the volatility of natural gas prices," said Daryl Hill, Basin Electric Spokesman.

The tank is expected to be complete this October. It can hold an additional 30,000 tons of anhydrous ammonia.

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