Northern Lights CCS project gets approval from Norwegian government

The Norwegian government has approved the Northern Lights CCS project, a CO2 transport and storage project being taken up by Equinor and its partners on the Norwegian Continental Shelf (NCS).

The Northern Lights CO2 transport and storage project also secured funding commitment from the Norwegian government.

Northern Lights will enable the transport of CO2 from industrial capture sites to a terminal located in Øygarden for intermediate storage. Following this, the CO2 is moved by pipeline for permanent storage in a reservoir, 2600 meters under the seabed.

Anders Opedal – Equinor CEO said: “Northern Lights is a true pioneering project and the first of its kind offering a solution to cut emissions from industrial sources in Norway and Europe. We are ready to start realizing this project that will be an important part of the climate solution.

“I want to thank the Norwegian government and for the broad political support in making this a reality. I am certain that we together with our partners and suppliers will make this project a success.”

Illustration of the Northern Lights CCS project in Norway. Image courtesy of Equinor ASA.

In May 2020, Equinor alongside Shell and Total took a decision to make initial investments of nearly NOK 6.9 billion ($810 million) in the Northern Lights CCS project.

Northern Lights is the transport and storage component of the Norwegian government’s NOK 25.1 billion ($2.94 billion) Longship carbon capture and storage project.

Phase one of the Northern Lights CCS project is aimed to be wrapped up mid 2024 and will have a capacity of up to 1.5 million tonnes of CO2 per year.

Tina Bru – Norwegian Minister of Petroleum and Energy said: “Carbon capture and storage (CCS) is important to achieve the goals of the Paris Agreement. “Longship” is the largest climate project ever in the Norwegian industry and will contribute substantially to the development of CCS as an efficient mitigation measure.

“Working together with the industry, the step-by-step approach has confirmed that the project is feasible. I want to thank the Northern Lights partners Equinor, Shell and Total – and I am looking forward to our continued cooperation.”