Norway Northern Lights Injects First CO2, Launches Merchant Storage

Norway's Northern Lights carbon capture and storage (CCS) project has begun operations with the successful injection and storage of CO2 nearly 2,600 meters below the seabed, marking a significant advancement in scalable carbon capture technology. The CO2, shipped from Heidelberg Materials' cement factory in Brevik, is transported via vessel and pipeline to the storage reservoir offshore Western Norway. This project, owned equally by TotalEnergies, Equinor, and Shell, represents the world's first merchant CO2 transport and storage service and aims to reduce emissions from hard-to-abate European industries. The initial phase, with a capacity of 1.5 million tons of CO2 per year, is fully booked by customers across Norway and continental Europe, including companies from the Netherlands, Denmark, and Sweden. Following the final investment decision in March 2025, a second phase is planned to increase storage capacity to over 5 million tons per year by 2028. The project highlights the importance of cross-border collaboration and governmental support in developing effective CCS infrastructure to accelerate industrial decarbonization in Europe.