Could a pipeline from Europe to Norway help solve European industry’s climate problem?

In the rocks far beneath the seabed of the North Sea, conditions are perfect for storing the CO₂ that Norway and Europe need to eliminate. Plans are now being made for a pipeline that can transport CO₂ from Europe to Norway. But is all just an excuse to extend the oil age?

The world is in the midst of a climate crisis. And renewable energy, such as solar and wind, will be crucial to solving it. But renewables aren't a panacea for all climate problems.

Because some types of industry are simply too energy-intensive to be electrified, and some of them also emit huge quantities of CO₂.

That's why carbon capture and storage – or CCS as it is usually abbreviated – is crucial for cutting emissions and reaching climate targets.

Among those seeking to use this technology is the fertilizer and chemical group Yara. They have recently signed the world's first agreement on capture, transport and storage of CO₂ across national borders. Over the next 15 years, they will capture around 12 million tonnes of CO₂ from their ammonia production in Sluiskil in the Netherlands – and store it beneath the Norwegian seabed.

Extensive experience from the Norwegian shelf
Capturing and storing CO₂ may seem like a wild idea. But Equinor has already been using the technology for almost 30 years, and we have been able to prove that it works, and that it is safe. So how does it actually work?

Unique starting point to become a leader

But can it be an excuse to prolong the oil age, as some people have claimed?

"CCS will not be at the expense of, or replace, renewable energy," emphasises Grete Tveit, Equinor's senior vice president for low carbon solutions.

And both the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and the International Energy Agency (IEA) have stated that carbon capture and storage will be an important part of the solution in a low-carbon future.

Several major projects are now underway to make the Norwegian seabed an important storage site for CO₂ for European heavy industries.

Equinor has ambitions to develop more storage licences both on the NCS and elsewhere. The aim is to build a common pipeline infrastructure that contributes to large-scale decarbonisation and a significant cost reduction for the CCS value chain.

The ambition is for Equinor to transport and store between 15 and 30 million tonnes of CO₂ each year by 2035. This corresponds to more than 60 per cent of Norway's greenhouse gas emissions in 2022, and will be an important contribution to Europe's energy transition.

The planned pipeline has been named CO₂ Highway Europe, and will be able to reduce transport costs by over 50 per cent, compared to ships. It will also help to open up, scale and commercialize the market for CO₂ storage in Norway and Europe.

Equinor is also a partner in the Northern Lights project, together with Shell and TotalEnergies. Northern Lights will be Norway's first full-scale CO₂ value chain facility for transport and storage of CO₂, with a storage capacity of up to 1.5 million tonnes of CO₂ per year.

Equinor is also participating in CO₂ capture and storage projects from industry in other countries, such as the USA and the UK.

Requires large investments

Grete Tveit points out that it has required enormous investments over several decades to get today's energy systems in place – and that it will also require both time and large investments to change the energy systems.

"The fact that we now see more and more projects within low-carbon solutions in the company gives us faith in progress and results – both in terms of climate and the emergence of new industry," says Tveit.