Totalenergies, Equinor, Shell Advance Northern Lights With Phase 2 Investment

(MENAFN- Trend News Agency) BAKU, Azerbaijan, March 28. TotalEnergies, Equinor, and Shell have approved the Final Investment Decision (FID) for the second phase of the Northern Lights carbon capture and storage (CCS) project, increasing its transport and storage capacity from 1.5 million to over 5 million tons of CO2 per year by 2028, Trend reports.

The first phase of Northern Lights is complete and set to begin operations this summer, with the first CO2 shipment from Heidelberg Materials' cement plant in Brevik, Norway. The captured CO2 will be permanently stored in a reservoir 2,600 meters below the seabed off the coast of Øygarden, western Norway.

The second phase involves an investment of $700 million and will expand onshore and offshore infrastructure, including new storage tanks, pumps, a jetty, injection wells, and transport vessels. Operations are expected to start in the second half of 2028.

The investment follows a 15-year agreement between Northern Lights and Stockholm Exergi for the transport and storage of 900,000 tons of CO2 annually. Northern Lights has also signed agreements with Heidelberg Materials, Celsio, Yara, and Ørsted and is in discussions with other European industrial customers.

TotalEnergies' Nicolas Terraz called the expansion a key step for CCS in Europe, while Northern Lights JV Managing Director Tim Heijn highlighted its role in building a commercial CCS market and supporting emissions reduction efforts.

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