Northern Lights CCS Ready for Startup in 2025
The Northern Lights carbon capture and storage (CCS) project, a pioneering initiative in the European energy transition, is set to begin operations in 2025. This significant milestone marks the culmination of years of collaborative effort by Equinor, Shell, and TotalEnergies to establish a cross-border CO2 transport and storage infrastructure.
#### Facility Completion
Located in Øygarden, near Bergen, Norway, the Northern Lights development features a new terminal that will receive liquefied CO2 cargos. A 100-kilometer subsea pipeline will then transport the CO2 to an offshore storage location in the North Sea, where subsea injection facilities will permanently store the CO2 in a reservoir 2,600 meters below the seabed.
#### Strategic Importance
The project, part of the larger Longship CCS initiative, is backed by 80% government funding, focusing on the transport and storage elements rather than the ships and CO2 capture plants. Despite the high initial investment, the facility is fully booked for its first-phase capacity of 1.5 million tons (Mt) of CO2 per year, demonstrating strong market demand and commercial viability.
#### Decarbonization Efforts
Northern Lights is poised to play a critical role in the decarbonization of European industry. By capturing CO2 from various industrial sources and shipping it to the onshore terminal, the liquified gas will be transported via pipeline to the offshore storage site. This project chain represents a substantial step towards reducing industrial emissions, a key aspect of achieving net zero emissions by 2050 as outlined in the Paris Agreement.
#### Partnerships and Momentum
The completion of the Northern Lights facilities marks a significant milestone in the global development of a business model for carbon projects. Equinor CEO Anders Opedal highlighted the importance of this infrastructure for decarbonization, stating, “This project opens a value chain for the decarbonization of European industry and energy”.
The joint venture between Equinor, Shell, and TotalEnergies has been instrumental in advancing CCS technology. These partners have worked tirelessly since the establishment of the joint venture in 2017 to bring this ambitious project to fruition. Arnaud Le Foll, Senior Vice-President for New Business—Carbon Neutrality at TotalEnergies, noted, “It has been a long journey since our