SEO Riders:
- – Northern Lights delivers pioneering CO₂ storage offshore: first injection complete
- – Longship-backed CCS chain refines Europe’s future of hard-to-abate emissions
- – Phase 2 expansion to boost annual CO₂ capacity to over 5 million tonnes
Norway has taken a groundbreaking step in climate innovation with the Northern Lights project—the world’s first commercial CO₂ transport and seabed storage service—successfully injecting its inaugural shipment of carbon dioxide 2,600 meters beneath the North Sea seabed. This milestone marks the commencement of Phase 1 operations, enabled by the joint venture of Equinor, Shell, and TotalEnergies.
The facility, part of Norway’s broader Longship initiative, comprises CO₂ capture at industrial sites (starting with Heidelberg Materials’ cement plant in Brevik), transport via ship to an onshore terminal at Øygarden, and subsea injection through a 100-kilometer pipeline into a geological reservoir.
Phase 1 capacity stands at 1.5 million tonnes of CO₂ annually, fully booked to date. Norway has committed to a Phase 2 expansion, backed by an investment of approximately 7.5 billion Norwegian crowns ($744 million), aimed at achieving a combined capacity of over 5 million tonnes per year.
Why It Matters:
– End-to-End CCS Value Chain: The Longship–Northern Lights framework represents the world’s first fully integrated CO₂ pipeline—from industrial capture to seabed storage—offering a scalable blueprint for decarbonizing sectors like cement, waste, and steel.
- – Public-Private Collaboration: The project demonstrates effective synergy—with the Norwegian government underwriting a substantial portion of the costs, while oil majors provide operational and technical leadership.
- – Strategic Climate Tool with Limits: While celebrated as a technological breakthrough and urged by bodies like the IPCC and IEA, CCS remains cost-intensive and subsidy-dependent. Its long-term viability will rely on stronger carbon pricing, regulatory mandates, and private demand for low-carbon solutions.
