The first shipments of carbon dioxide have been transported and injected into the Aurora reservoir off the Norwegian coast.
The gas shipments were transported by the Northern Lights JV consortium through a 100-kilometer/62-mile pipeline before being finally injected into the reservoir, located 2,600 meters/8,530 feet beneath the Norwegian North Sea floor.
This achievement confirms that vessels, surface facilities and subsea injection wells are fully operational.
During the rest of 2025, Norwegian CO2 will be transported and sequestered in the reservoir. In 2026, shipments from Denmark and the Netherlands are slated to commence. Northern Lights JV is a General Partnership with Shared Liability (DA) and is jointly owned by Equinor, TotalEnergies and Shell.
In March 2025, the partners approved a major expansion following a commercial agreement with Stockholm Exergi. Backed by funding from the European Union’s Connecting Europe Facility for Energy, the project will boost capacity from 1.5 million tons of CO2 per year to at least 5 million tons annually.
This growth plan effectively utilizes the existing pipeline and gas terminal, while also adding new onshore storage tanks, high-capacity pumps, a dedicated jetty, extra injection wells and additional CO2 transport vessels to accommodate increased throughput.
The second phase of development underscores Northern Lights’ ambition to remain at the cutting edge of carbon capture and storage. By integrating proven infrastructure with long-term commercial partnerships, the joint venture aims to deliver scalable and reliable solutions for reducing CO2 emissions across Northern Europe.
Commenting on the successful operation and CO2 deposit, Northern Lights JV Managing Director Tim Heijn stated:
“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. We are excited to continue building additional capacity following the positive investment decision for the second phase.”
