TotalEnergies, Equinor, and Shell announced on Thursday the completion of Northern Lights, carbon dioxide (CO2) receiving and storage facilities, in western Norway.
The facilities include a terminal for receiving CO2 cargos, a 100 kilometer subsea pipeline and injection facilities for storing CO2 in a reservoir 2,600 meters below the seabed, TotalEnergies said in a statement.
Northern Lights is slated to be the world’s first commercial CO2 transportation and storage project, with an initial capacity of 1.5 million tons of carbon dioxide equivalent per year (Mt CO2/y).
The first phase of the project was supported by the Norwegian government and has a capacity of 1.5 Mt CO2/y, which has been fully booked by customers in Norway and Continental Europe, the company said.
Studies are under way for a capacity expansion to more than 5 Mt CO2/y in a second phase.
Northern Lights is set to begin storing CO2 from European industries next year, the statement added.
Developing CO2 transportation and storage is crucial for reducing emissions and decarbonizing European industry.
Norwegian Energy Minister Terje Aasland said the facilities 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 Carbon Capture and Storage worldwide,’ Aasland added.
