Norway has launched a major industrial project aimed at capturing, maritime transport, and geological storage of CO₂, mobilizing key energy players and significant public subsidies to ensure economic viability.
Who develops CO2 transport & storage infrastructure in Norway?
Equinor, Shell and TotalEnergies form the transport and storage consortium of Northern Lights. They plan to develop an open access infrastructure for CO 2 transport and storage. Hafslund Celsio plans to capture CO 2 from their waste-to-energy plant in Oslo. CCS Norway is developed by Gassnova, the Norwegian state enterprise for CCS.
How will CO2 be stored in Norway?
The full-scale project includes capture of CO 2 from industrial sources and shipping of liquid CO 2 to an onshore terminal on the Norwegian west coast. From there, the liquified CO 2 will be transported by pipeline to an offshore storage location subsea in the North Sea, for permanent storage.
The total estimated cost of the project, including ten years of operation, is around NOK 34 billion. The investment is backed by the Norwegian Parliament and aims to develop CO₂ management as a cost-effective climate measure. 'This is an investment in future jobs, technology, and industry.
Which companies are investing in the Northern Lights project?
Equinor, Shell and TotalEnergies are investing in the Northern Lights project — Norway's first licence for CO₂ storage on the Norwegian Continental Shelf and a major part of the initiative that the Norwegian government calls Longship. Carbon capture and storage will play a major role in the Norwegian climate solution.
The investment is backed by the Norwegian Parliament and aims to develop CO₂ management as a cost-effective climate measure. 'This is an investment in future jobs, technology, and industry. Longship will demonstrate that CO₂ management is safe, feasible, and necessary to meet climate goals in Norway and the EU', said Aasland.
Terje Aasland, Norway's Minister of Energy, commented: “With Longship, Europe's first full-scale value chain for CO2 management will be in operation in 2025. It is inspiring to now see the results from Norway's long-term commitment to CO2 management.