Dakota Prairie Refinery Celebrates Start of Construction with Groundbreaking Ceremony
Construction of the Dakota Prairie Refinery began today with a
groundbreaking ceremony held by the developers, MDU Resources Group,
Inc. (NYSE: MDU) and Calumet Specialty Products Partners, L.P. (NASDAQ:
CLMT).
Construction of the diesel refinery, on a 318-acre site located west of
Dickinson in Stark County, N.D. is expected to take approximately 20
months. The refinery will process 20,000 barrels per day of Bakken crude
oil. It will employ 400 to 500 employees during peak construction and
about 100 employees when it is operating.
North Dakota Governor Jack Dalrymple drove a bulldozer to lead the
groundbreaking ceremony. Others participating in the event included the
state’s congressional delegation, Sen. John Hoeven, Sen. Heidi Heitkamp
and Rep. Kevin Cramer, along with state, local and industry officials.
“Bringing this project from concept to construction took the effort of a
great many people,” said David L. Goodin, president and chief executive
officer of MDU Resources. “We especially appreciate the support of
Governor Dalrymple, other state officials and state agencies. Their
permitting process was rigorous, but at the same time they helped us
identify and solve problems that are involved in a complex project such
as this.”
“This facility will help supply North Dakota’s growing diesel fuel
market, and will be a good contributor to the state and local economy,”
said Jennifer G. Straumins, president and chief operating officer of
Calumet’s general partner. “We look forward to working in a state where
officials have demonstrated strong support for economic development.”
The facility’s engineering and plant design are in the final stages.
Westcon has been selected as the general contractor and Ventech
Engineering will be the primary equipment and technology provider. MDU
Resources’ construction businesses, Knife River Corporation and MDU
Construction Services Group, are among potential subcontractors. Other
MDU Resources’ companies involved in the project include Fidelity
Exploration and Production Company, which will supply some of the
facility’s crude oil; WBI Energy, which will supply natural gas service
to operate the facility; and Montana-Dakota Utilities, which will supply
the facility’s electricity needs.
MDU Resources Group, Inc., a member of the S&P MidCap 400 index,
provides value-added natural resource products and related services that
are essential to energy and transportation infrastructure, including
regulated utilities and pipelines, exploration and production, and
construction materials and services companies. For more information
about MDU Resources, see the company's website at www.mdu.com
or contact the Investor Relations Department at investor@mduresources.com.
Calumet Specialty Products Partners, L.P. is a master limited
partnership and is a leading independent producer of high-quality,
specialty hydrocarbon products in North America. Calumet Specialty
Products Partners, L.P. processes crude oil and other feedstocks into
customized lubricating oils, solvents and waxes used in consumer,
industrial and automotive products. Calumet also produces fuel products
including gasoline, diesel and jet fuel. Calumet Specialty Products
Partners, L.P. is based in Indianapolis, Indiana and has eleven
facilities located in northwest Louisiana, northwest Wisconsin, western
Pennsylvania, Texas and eastern Missouri.
Forward-Looking Statements
Except for the historical information contained herein, the matters
discussed in this release are forward-looking statements that involve
certain risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to
differ materially from results anticipated in the forward-looking
statements. These risks and uncertainties include, among other things,
the ability of the parties to complete financing of the project, the
ability of the parties to obtain required regulatory permits, the cost
and time to complete the project, and the availability of crude
petroleum product and markets for processed products. These and any
other statements about future expectations, beliefs, goals, plans or
prospects constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of
the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Any statements
that are not statements of historical fact (including statements
containing the words “believes,” “plans,” “anticipates,” “expects,”
“estimates” and similar expressions) should also be considered to be
forward-looking statements.
