Northern Lights joint venture invests in expansion of CCS project
Equinor, Shell and TotalEnergies made a final investment decision (FID) to progress Phase 2 of the Northern Lights development. The investment by the Northern Lights JV owners is 7.5 billion NOK. This includes the award of €131 million (approximately 1.5 billion NOK) from the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) funding scheme, approved by the European Commission last year.
Phase 2 of the development will increase the total injection capacity from 1.5 million tons of CO2 per year (Mtpa) to at least 5 Mtpa. The expansion through phase two builds on existing onshore and offshore infrastructure and includes additional onshore storage tanks, a new jetty and additional injection wells.
This development phase is expected to be completed and ready for H2 2028. Equinor will remain the technical service provider (TSP) for Phase 2, responsible for development, construction and operation on behalf of the partnership.
The first phase of the Northern Lights project aimed to demonstrate feasibility of a new business model, solutions and operations through collaboration among authorities, customers and project partners. With strong support by the Norwegian government’s Longship initiative, Phase 1 is fully booked. Northern Lights is prepared to receive CO2 from emitters, offering a secure and permanent storage solution for CO2.
Phase 1 operations are planned for this summer, with CO2 from Heidelberg Materials’ cement factory in Brevik expected to arrive at the receiving terminal near Kollsnes on Norway’s west coast. Additionally, Northern Lights will store CO2 from the Hafslund Celsio waste-to-energy plant in Oslo, as part of the Longship project.
