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In a bold move toward large-scale carbon reduction, Shell, Equinor, and TotalEnergies have pledged 7.5 billion Norwegian crowns ($710 million) to expand their Northern Lights carbon storage project in western Norway. The investment follows a landmark 15-year commercial agreement with Stockholm Exergi, securing the facility's transport and storage of 900,000 tonnes of CO₂ annually.
The expansion is set to more than triple Northern Lights’ CO₂ injection capacity, elevating it to at least five million tonnes per year—representing roughly 10% of Norway’s total annual emissions. The impact is monumental, solidifying Norway’s leadership in the global push for carbon capture and storage (CCS), a technology long touted as essential but rarely implemented at scale.
Norway has been at the forefront of CCS development, launching the Longship project in 2020, with Northern Lights as its flagship facility. Phase one, completed in September 2023, already enables the injection of 1.5 million tonnes of CO₂ annually, with the first deliveries expected later this year.
With this expansion, phase two is set to inject an additional 3.5 million tonnes per year—raising total capacity to five million tonnes. Expected to be operational by late 2028, the new infrastructure will feature:
Additional onshore storage tanks
Pumps and a new jetty
New CO₂ injection wells
More specialised transport vessels
This ambitious expansion is not just a private-sector initiative. The project has also secured €131 million ($141 million) in grant funding from the European Commission, reinforcing the EU’s commitment to CCS as a key pillar of its climate strategy.
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