Name of the Project
Northern Lights CO₂ transport and storage project.

Location
The project is located in Norway's first exploitation licence for carbon dioxide storage on the Norwegian continental shelf.

Project Owner/s
Equinor, Shell and Total made a conditional investment decision on the Northern Lights CO₂ transport and storage project in May 2020. The project partners are establishing a joint venture, which will be responsible for all project activities, including business development.

Project Description
The Northern Lights project is part of the Norwegian full-scale carbon capture and storage project.

The full-scale project will include the capture of carbon dioxide from at the waste-to-energy plant Fortum Oslo Varme, in Oslo, and at the Norcem (Heidelberg Group) cement factory, in Brevik.

The project will be developed in phases.

Phase 1 includes capacity to transport and inject, as well as store, up to 1.5-million tonnes of carbon dioxide a year. Once the carbon dioxide is captured on shore, it will be transported by ships, and then injected and permanently stored about 2 500 m below the seabed in the North Sea.

The carbon dioxide-receiving terminal will be located at the premises of Naturgassparken industrial area in Øygarden, in western Norway. The plant will be remotely operated from Equinor’s facilities at the Sture terminal, in Øygarden, and the subsea facilities from the Oseberg A platform, in the North Sea.

The facility will allow for further phases to expand capacity. Investments in subsequent phases will be prompted by market demand from large carbon dioxide emitters across Europe.

Potential Job Creation
The project will generate much-needed jobs for Norway, with an estimated 57% of the investment going to Norwegian contractors.

Capital Expenditure
Nkr6.9-billion.

Planned Start/End Date
Phase 1 of the project, with a capacity of up to 1.5-million tonnes of carbon dioxide a year, will be completed in 2024.

Latest Developments
Following a vote in the Norwegian parliament in December 2020, the Norwegian government announced its approval of the final investment decision for the Northern Lights project, allowing for the shipping, reception and sequestration of carbon dioxide in geological strata in the Northern North Sea, about 2 600 m below the seabed.  

This approval demonstrates the Norwegian government's strong support for the development of a carbon capture and sequestration value chain, which is essential if Europe is to achieve its carbon-neutral targets. With the mergers clearances process under way, it will enable Total, Equinor and Shell to launch the construction phase of the project.
 
Key Contracts and Suppliers
None stated.

Contact Details for Project Information
Total, tel +33 1 47 44 46 99 or email presse@total.com.
Equinor VP media relations/corporate affairs Bård Pedersen, +47 91801791 or email bgp@equinor.com.
Shell, tel +44 20 7934 5550.