Pioneering CO2 Storage: Total Energies, Shell, and Equinor Launch World's First Commercial Carbon Capture Project in Norway

In a groundbreaking step towards large-scale decarbonization, the Northern Lights joint venture—comprising Total Energies, Shell, and Equinor—has completed the world’s first commercial CO2 transportation and storage project in Norway. This innovative project is designed to address the carbon emissions from hard-to-abate industries across Europe, offering a critical solution to help meet global climate goals outlined in the Paris Agreement.

The Northern Lights project forms the transportation and storage component of Norway's Longship initiative, a full-scale carbon capture and storage (CCS) project launched by the Norwegian government in 2020. Longship aims to establish carbon capture as an essential tool for reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The project includes state-of-the-art facilities, featuring a terminal that receives liquid CO2 captured from industrial sources, a 100 km subsea pipeline to transport the CO2, and subsea injection systems for its permanent storage 2,600 meters below the seabed.

The first phase of Northern Lights has the capacity to transport and store 1.5 million tons of CO2 per year, with plans to expand capacity to over 5 million tons annually in future phases. The capacity for this initial phase has already been fully booked by industrial clients in Norway and continental Europe, signaling strong demand for effective decarbonization solutions. The project is expected to inject its first CO2 in 2025, marking the start of a new era in reducing industrial carbon emissions.

Supported by the Norwegian government, Northern Lights represents a vital component of Europe’s broader decarbonization strategy. Carbon capture and storage technology is particularly crucial for industries that are difficult to decarbonize, such as cement, steel, and chemicals. Anna Mascolo, Executive Vice President at Shell Low Carbon Solutions, emphasized CCS's pivotal role in achieving global climate goals: “Carbon capture and storage has a vital role to play in helping society achieve the goals of the Paris Agreement. Alongside efforts to avoid and reduce emissions, CCS will be an essential tool in supporting our customers on their decarbonization journeys.”

Grete Tveit, Senior Vice President of Low Carbon Solutions at Equinor, hailed the project’s completion as a milestone for both the company and the broader industry, stating, “We are proud that Northern Lights, as part of the Longship value chain, has now been completed and is ready to receive CO2. This is an important milestone in establishing a Carbon Capture and Storage value chain in Europe.”

Arnaud Le Foll, Senior Vice President for New Business – Carbon Neutrality at TotalEnergies, added, “This major milestone signals the readiness of the infrastructure to store CO2, and we look forward to receiving the first volumes from hard-to-abate emitters in 2025. This will bring a strong contribution to the decarbonization of European industry.”

As industries and governments continue to seek effective solutions to curb emissions, the Northern Lights project demonstrates that commercial-scale CCS can be a viable pathway toward significant carbon reduction. By capturing and storing emissions at the source, Northern Lights is setting a new standard for how industries can address their carbon footprint while contributing to broader climate goals.