Northern Lights stores first CO₂ volumes as world’s first open-access CCS network begins operations

Northern Lights stores first CO₂ volumes as world’s first open-access CCS network begins operations

(IN BRIEF) Northern Lights, the world’s first open-access CO₂ transport and storage network, has officially started operations by injecting the first CO₂ volumes into the Aurora reservoir 2,600 meters beneath the North Sea. Owned by Equinor, Shell and TotalEnergies, the joint venture marks a global milestone in carbon management. Phase 1 of the project, with 1.5 million tonnes per year of storage capacity, is fully booked, while Phase 2 will expand this to at least 5 million tonnes annually with EU funding support. CO₂ is currently transported by ship from Heidelberg Materials’ Brevik cement plant to the Øygarden terminal, then injected offshore through a 100 km pipeline. Equinor, as Technical Service Provider, has led construction of the facilities and will operate the site. The project forms part of Norway’s Longship initiative and demonstrates how large-scale CCS can enable Europe’s energy transition.

(PRESS RELEASE) STAVANGER, 25-Aug-2025 — /EuropaWire/ — The Northern Lights joint venture, owned equally by Equinor, Shell and TotalEnergies, has successfully begun operations by injecting the first volumes of CO₂ into the Aurora reservoir, 2,600 meters beneath the seabed in the North Sea. This marks a historic milestone as the world’s first commercial, open-access CO₂ transport and storage infrastructure enters operation, offering a scalable solution to reduce industrial emissions across Europe.

The CO₂ is captured at Heidelberg Materials’ cement plant in Brevik, transported by ship to the Northern Lights receiving terminal at Øygarden, and then piped through 100 kilometers of subsea infrastructure before being permanently stored offshore.

“With CO₂ now safely stored beneath the seabed, we are proving that carbon capture and storage can move from vision to large-scale reality,” said Anders Opedal, CEO of Equinor. “Thanks to close collaboration with our partners and strong backing from the Norwegian government, Northern Lights has transformed from concept into operation, setting a new benchmark for the decarbonization of European industry.”

Phase 1 of Northern Lights provides storage capacity of 1.5 million tonnes of CO₂ per year, which is already fully booked. In March, the joint venture confirmed its Phase 2 expansion plans, increasing annual capacity to at least 5 million tonnes. The expansion is supported by a €131 million grant from the EU’s Connecting Europe Facility for Energy and includes new CO₂ tanks, an additional jetty, and new injection wells at the Øygarden site, where Equinor, as Technical Service Provider, has overseen construction.

“Developing new value chains such as CO₂ capture, transport and storage requires alignment between governments, industry and customers,” said Irene Rummelhoff, Equinor’s Executive Vice President for Marketing, Midstream & Processing. “Northern Lights shows what is possible through cooperation. We now look forward to operating this facility on behalf of the partnership and to using it as a springboard for scaling CCS across Europe.”

The start of CO₂ injection also marks the completion of Phase 1 of Longship, Norway’s full-scale carbon capture and storage project. With Northern Lights in operation, Europe now has the first open-access CCS network, designed to provide cross-border services to emitters seeking safe, permanent storage solutions.

Equinor, one of the largest global developers of CCS, aims to build 30–50 million tonnes of CO₂ transport and storage capacity by 2035. In addition to Northern Lights, the company is progressing several projects across Europe and the United States, underlining its ambition to lead the development of carbon management solutions worldwide.

About Northern Lights

• Northern Lights JV is a registered, incorporated General Partnership with Shared Liability (DA), equally owned by Equinor, TotalEnergies and Shell.
• The first phase of Northern Lights is part of Longship, the Norwegian Government’s full-scale carbon capture and storage project. Northern Lights is focusing on the transport and storage aspects of the value chain. Captured and liquefied CO2 from customer’s sites is transported by ship to the onshore receiving terminal at Øygarden.
• From the terminal, CO2 is transported via pipeline to a storage in a reservoir 2,600 meters under the seabed in the North Sea.
• The Norwegian government is providing substantial financial support, covering approximately 80% of the cost for the phase 1 of the Northern Lights project.
• The Phase 2 expansion of Northern Lights received €131 million from the EU funding programme Connecting Europe Facility for Energy (CEF Energy) in June 2024.
• The Northern Lights facility includes a receiving terminal, an injection pipeline and subsea installations.
• Equinor as the Technical Service Provider (TSP has led the construction of the onshore plant at Øygarden and the offshore facilities on behalf of Northern Lights JV and its partners. Equinor will also have operational responsibility for the CO2 plant at Øygarden.
• The Oseberg Field Centre is responsible for well integrity and monitoring of the wells in the Northern Lights reservoir.

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SOURCE: Equinor