TotalEnergies, Equinor, and Shell have finalised a NOK 7.5 billion (~$1.152 billion) investment to boost the Northern Lights carbon capture and storage (CCS) project’s capacity from 1.5 million to over five million tonnes of CO₂ annually by late 2028.
The expansion follows a landmark 15-year agreement with Swedish energy provider Stockholm Exergi to transport and store 900,000 tonnes of biogenic CO₂ per year starting in 2028, marking the fifth major industrial partnership for the venture.
The first phase, now fully operational, will commence CO₂ injections this summer, initially capturing emissions from Heidelberg Materials’ cement plant in Brevik, Norway.
Liquefied CO₂ will be shipped to a subsea reservoir 2,600 metres below the North Sea, near Øygarden.
This milestone is part of Norway’s state-backed Longship CCS initiative, positioning the country as a pioneer in cross-border carbon management.
The second phase will expand onshore and offshore infrastructure, including storage tanks, a new jetty, injection wells, and specialised vessels.
The project has secured €131 million in EU funding via the Connecting Europe Facility for Energy (CEF Energy).
Stockholm Exergi’s involvement introduces a Bio-Energy Carbon Capture and Storage (BECCS) component, creating negative emissions by capturing CO₂ from biomass combustion at its Stockholm plant.
Northern Lights now serves five industrial partners across Europe, including Ørsted (Denmark) and Yara (Netherlands), with advanced negotiations underway to fill remaining capacity.
Nicolas Terraz of TotalEnergies emphasised the project’s role in addressing “hard-to-abate” industrial emissions, while Northern Lights’ Tim Heijn highlighted its contribution to building a “commercially viable CCS market”.
The expanded capacity will address nearly 10 per cent of Norway’s annual emissions and aligns with EU climate targets, leveraging scalable solutions for industries facing stringent decarbonisation mandates.