Carbon Capture and Storage Project Completion in Norway

By Nora Buli

OSLO (Reuters) – Shell, Equinor, and TotalEnergies announced on Thursday that their carbon dioxide (CO2) storage project on Norway’s west coast is completed and ready to accept CO2, with initial deliveries expected next year.

Carbon capture and storage (CCS) is viewed as a key method for reducing CO2 emissions, yet there are few commercial projects. Norway launched the Longship project in 2020, which includes the Northern Lights site.

Tim Heijn, managing director of the joint venture, stated: “Today we achieved an important milestone on our journey to demonstrate CCS as a viable option to help achieve climate goals” during the unveiling of the facility.

The partners anticipate the first volumes to be received in 2025, according to Arnaud Le Foll, a senior vice-president at TotalEnergies.

The site includes 12 onshore metal tanks, capable of temporarily storing a 7,500 cubic meter cargo from specially commissioned custom-made ships for delivering liquefied CO2. The CO2 is then sent through a 110-kilometer pipeline to be permanently stored in a rock formation 2,600 meters below sea level.

The first phase of Northern Lights can inject 37.5 million metric tons of CO2 over a 25-year period, approximately 1.5 million tons annually. A second phase aims to add an additional 3.5 million tons per year.

The initial delivery will come from a capture facility at the Brevik cement plant in southern Norway, owned by Heidelberg Materials, also part of the Longship project. The German group reported it plans to finish the facility by the year’s end, followed by a testing phase, without specifying when the first shipment will occur.

Northern Lights has also secured agreements to transport and store CO2 for Yara, a fertiliser manufacturer, and Denmark’s Orsted, starting in 2025 and 2026 respectively. Meanwhile, a capture project at an Oslo waste plant is currently on hold due to budgeting issues.