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illuminem summarises for you the essential news of the day. Read the full piece on Firstpost or enjoy below:
🗞️ Driving the news: Norway has launched the world’s first commercial offshore carbon storage service, with the Northern Lights project successfully injecting CO₂ into a geological reservoir beneath the North Sea
• Operated by Equinor, Shell, and TotalEnergies, the initiative aims to serve heavy-emitting industries by capturing, transporting, and permanently storing CO₂
• The first injection came from Heidelberg Materials’ cement plant in Brevik, Norway
🔭 The context: Carbon capture and storage (CCS) is considered essential for hard-to-abate sectors such as cement, steel, and chemicals, where full electrification or alternative fuels are not yet scalable
• Backed by the Norwegian government, the Northern Lights project is part of the country’s wider Longship CCS initiative, which seeks to create a European value chain for carbon removal
• Despite its potential, CCS remains capital-intensive and currently less economically attractive than purchasing EU carbon allowances
🌍 Why it matters for the planet: This marks a critical milestone for scaling CCS in Europe, potentially offering a replicable model for industrial decarbonisation
• If proven cost-effective and environmentally secure, such geological storage projects could significantly reduce CO₂ emissions from sectors contributing nearly a quarter of global industrial emissions
• However, success depends on expanding storage capacity, securing long-term financing, and ensuring robust monitoring to prevent leakage
⏭️ What's next: Northern Lights has signed initial contracts with facilities in the Netherlands, Denmark, and Sweden, and plans to expand storage capacity from 1.5 million to 5 million tonnes of CO₂ annually by 2030
• Future growth hinges on stronger policy incentives, carbon pricing adjustments, and more cross-border partnerships
• The project’s performance will be closely watched as the EU finalises regulatory frameworks for industrial decarbonisation and cross-border CCS infrastructure
💬 One quote: “We now injected and stored the very first CO₂ safely in the reservoir,” said Tim Heijn, Managing Director of Northern Lights. “Our ships, facilities and wells are now in operation”
📈 One stat: The Northern Lights reservoir aims to store up to 5 million tonnes of CO₂ per year by the end of the decade — equivalent to taking over one million cars off the road annually
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