The first phase of the Northern Lights CO2 storage project is ready to receive liquefied CO2 deliveries with a capacity of 37.5m tons over its first 25 years.
Carbon capture and storage (CCS) technologies have a new endpoint for captured CO2 with the completion of phase one of Norway’s Northern Lights project, which has been declared ready to receive deliveries.
The first phase of the project has an annual capacity of 1.5m tons of CO2 injection capacity for a total of 37.5m tons of storage over 25 years. A phase two plan is underway to expand capacity to over 5m tons per annum.
The project will take delivery of liquefied CO2 by ship and pipe it 110 km offshore for permanent storage 2,600 m beneath the North Sea in a reservoir named the Aurora storage complex. The process has a net abatement rate of 97.4% when considering emissions across its supply chain, the company said.
Around 1bn tons of CO2 need to be captured and stored each year by 2030 to reach mid-century net zero targets. Estimates place the storage capacity of the Norwegian Continental Shelf at around 80bn tons of CO2.
The completion of onshore and offshore infrastructure for Northern Lights was marked by a celebration with members of the local community and Norwegian Minister of Energy, Terje Aasland.
“Today’s ceremony marks a significant milestone—one that fills us with great pride and hope for the future. This is a proud moment not just for Northern Lights as a company, but for Norway and for the advancement of CCS worldwide”, said Aasland.
Northern Lights MD Tim Heijn added: “The whole world is looking to Norway to learn about CCS. Since construction started, we have welcomed more than 10,000 visitors from more than 50 countries.”
Four purpose-built CO2 transport ships are under construction for the project. Construction of the first two ships began in 2023 at Dalian Shipbuilding Industry, with two more contracts awarded to Dalian Shipbuilding Offshore later the same year. The fourth ship will be owned and operated by Bernhard Schulte, while the first three will be owned by Northern Lights and managed and operated by K Line.
The initial pair of ships are due to enter service this year, and first steel has been cut for the third ship.
Northern Lights was launched in 2017 as a joint venture between Equinor, TotalEnergies and Shell. The first phase receives state support as part of Norway’s Longship project, and funding has been approved from the European Union.
Source: www.seatrade-maritime.com