TotalEnergies, along with partners Equinor and Shell, has announced the completion of the CO2 receiving and storage facilities for the Northern Lights Joint Venture in Norway. The project features a terminal to receive CO2 shipments, a 100 km subsea pipeline for transporting CO2 to an offshore storage site, and subsea injection facilities for safely and permanently storing CO2 in a reservoir 2,600 meters below the seabed.
Northern Lights is now fully equipped to receive and store CO2 emissions from European industries, with the first CO2 injection expected in 2025. This project represents a crucial step in reducing emissions, offering a practical decarbonization solution for industries across Europe through CO2 transportation and storage services.
As the world’s first commercial CO2 transportation and storage initiative, Northern Lights was supported by the Norwegian government in its initial phase, which has a storage capacity of 1.5 million tons of CO2 per year—already fully booked by customers from Norway and Continental Europe. Plans are underway to expand the capacity to over 5 million tons per year in a second phase.
“This milestone is a proud moment for Northern Lights and Norway, marking significant progress in advancing Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) globally,” said Norwegian Minister of Energy, Terje Aasland.
Tim Heijn, Managing Director of Northern Lights JV, emphasized the project’s global significance: “The world is looking to Norway for CCS leadership. Since construction began, we’ve hosted over 10,000 visitors from more than 50 countries. This achievement is a collective effort involving local communities, policymakers, and industry partners in the CCS value chain.”
Arnaud Le Foll, Senior Vice President of New Business – Carbon Neutrality at TotalEnergies, noted, “This milestone marks the readiness of the infrastructure to begin receiving CO2, significantly contributing to the decarbonization of European industries.”
Grete Tveit, Senior Vice President of Low Carbon Solutions at Equinor, highlighted the project’s role in establishing a Carbon Capture and Storage value chain in Europe, while Shell’s Executive Vice President of Low Carbon Solutions, Anna Mascolo, added, “CCS is essential in helping hard-to-abate industries decarbonize, and Northern Lights plays a vital part in Shell’s integrated decarbonization offer to customers.”
The Northern Lights project represents a key element of the broader Longship value chain, reinforcing Europe’s commitment to achieving climate goals through CCS technology.
