Grant delayed to turn natural gas into fertilizer

North Dakota officials on Monday delayed awarding a $1 million grant for an anhydrous ammonia manufacturing project.

The state Industrial Commission asked the project's developer for more information about the project's financial assumptions.

N-Flex LLC wants the money from a state research fund that's financed by oil and gas taxes.

The project would use natural gas directly from the well to make anhydrous ammonia fertilizer. It would use a portable manufacturing plant that would be installed at the well site.

Right now about a third of North Dakota's natural gas production is burned off and wasted because pipelines to bring the fuel to market haven't been built.

N-Flex founder Neil Cohn says the project would cut down on gas waste and provide farmers with more fertilizer.

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