How to reduce global warming? World’s first commercial carbon capture facility begins storing CO₂ in Norwegian North Sea

Northern Lights project launches world’s first commercial carbon capture and storage facility in Norway’s North Sea.

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The world’s first commercial carbon capture and storage (CCS) facility is now operational, marking a significant milestone in Europe’s efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The Northern Lights project has successfully injected and stored its first volumes of carbon dioxide located 2,600 meters below the seabed of the Norwegian North Sea.The operation involves transporting CO2 via ships from Heidelberg Materials’ cement factory in Brevik to an onshore receiving terminal at Øygarden. From there, the carbon dioxide travels through a 100-kilometer pipeline before being injected into the Aurora reservoir under the North Sea.

“We have reached an exciting milestone: We now injected and stored the very first CO₂ safely in the reservoir. Our ships, facilities and wells are now in operation,” said Tim Heijn, Managing Director of Northern Lights JV in a press release by
Northern Lights on August 25.

How this project is locking the CO₂

The captured CO₂ originates from the Brevik cement plant in southern Norway, which is operated by Heidelberg Materials.

Cement production is a significant source of CO₂ emissions because carbon dioxide is released not only from burning fuel but also from the chemical process of converting limestone into clinker, the essential ingredient in cement.

At Brevik, carbon dioxide (CO₂) is captured through a chemical process using amines, which separate it from other gases. Once the gas is purified, it is cooled and compressed into liquid form.

Specialized ships then transport the liquefied CO₂ to the Northern Lights terminal on Norway’s west coast. From there, it is pumped through pipelines into a geological formation located approximately 2,600 meters beneath the seabed.

As the Carbon Credits explain, this deep saline aquifer, a porous rock layer sealed by thick caprock, safely stores CO₂ underground permanently. Geologists have studied the region for decades, and monitoring systems are in place to ensure long-term security. The storage capacity is expected to last for hundreds of years.

How much carbon will it lock?

Northern Lights’ current first-phase capacity is 1.5 million tonnes of CO₂ per year. After the expansion project, this capacity will increase to at least 5 million tonnes of CO₂ per year.To put it into perspective, according to data from the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), a typical passenger vehicle emits about 4.6 metric tonnes of CO₂ per year.

Northern Lights’ first-phase CO₂ storage capacity of 1.5 million tonnes per year is roughly equivalent to removing the annual emissions of around 326,000 average passenger cars.

After the planned expansion to 5 million tonnes per year, the facility would capture CO₂ equivalent to the emissions of over 1 million cars annually.

“We are excited to continue building additional capacity following the positive investment decision for the second phase,” Heijn said in the press release.