Norway’s Northern Light project has begun full commercial operations. Ships carried captured CO2 from a cement plant at Brevik to the Øyegarden terminal. From there, the gas was moved offshore and injected 2600 m below the seabed into the Aurora Reservoir about a hundred kilometers north of Norway’s west coast. This is the first time CO2 has been put into a sub-sea store under a commercial third-party service that handles deliveries from several countries..
The first load of CO2 came from the Heidelberg materials, cement plant in Brevik. That plant has a capture system that takes out a large chunk of its emissions and some of its product into a low-carbon cement called EvoZero. The captured CO2 was then liquified and loaded onto special ships made for this job only. The northern lights partners say their ships, terminal, and wells are now in full operation.
How The System Works and What It Can Carry
The system is very simple to understand. Carbon is caught at a factory and turned into liquid carbon. Special carriers are made, and then they move the liquid to the Øygarden show terminal near Bergen. From the terminal 100 km pipeline takes the CO2 to the injection wells, which are offshore. The gas is pushed into deep rock where it is held safely and permanently. The carriers is used for this work were built for the project and can each carry thousands of cubic metres of carbon dioxide.
Phase one of the northern lights can handle 1,500,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide in one year, and the space that will hold it over 25 years is already booked by some industry clients. The partners, such as Shell, Equinor, and TotalEnergies, and some other partners, plan to expand their capacity in the coming years. A phase two decision was already made to increase the storage to at least 5,000,000 tonnes a year by 2008 if everything goes as per proper planning. The expansion follows contracts with companies located in Sweden, Denmark, the Netherlands, and Norway.
Why Are Industry Leaders Calling It A Game Changer
People in the project called the start of operations a big step. Northern Lights says it now offers a real commercial way for heavy industries to send carbon dioxide to a safe store without each company building its own big project. Several sectors, like cement, chemicals, bio biofuel companies have already signed up to use the service. This means that companies can now lower the reported carbon dioxide emissions while keeping their factories running smoothly.
Some critics still point to the cost and the need for strong rules and carbon prices to make this work at a larger scale. Supporters say that the project shows how governments and companies can work together to give industry more practical tools to reduce carbon dioxide emissions. The partners are also working on the safety and technical aspects and will report on operations as the work continues. For now, this project is Europe’s first operational cross-border carbon transport and storage service.
FAQs
- Where was the CO2 injected?
The CO2 was injected into the Aurora Reservoir under the North Sea about a hundred kilometres of Norway’s coast, 2600 m below the seabed.
- Who runs the northern lights?
The project was a joint effort by Equinor, Shell, and TotalEngines.
- Which company supplied the first carbon dioxide?
Heidelberg Materials’ Brevik cement plant supplied the first load of captured CO2.
- How much CO2 can the project store?
Phase one handles 1.5 million tonnes per year and phase two has a goal of reaching at least 5 million tonnes per year by 2028.
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