By Abbas Nazil
Norway has recorded a major milestone in climate mitigation after Northern Lights issued the first certificates confirming the permanent storage of carbon dioxide in the Aurora offshore reservoir.
The certificates were released following the commencement of carbon dioxide injection in August and confirm that emissions captured from the Heidelberg Materials cement factory have been safely transported and stored beneath the seabed of the Norwegian North Sea.
The Northern Lights joint venture said the certificates provide verified documentation of the exact quantities of carbon dioxide transported and permanently injected, offering transparent proof of long-term emissions storage.
Managing Director of Northern Lights, Tim Heijn, said credible carbon accounting is critical to the integrity and future growth of the carbon capture and storage industry.
He explained that accurate monitoring of carbon dioxide volumes and emissions across the entire value chain is essential to building trust in CCS as a reliable climate solution.
According to Heijn, Northern Lights operates a robust Monitoring, Reporting and Verification system that precisely tracks emissions from the point of loading through transportation, injection and permanent storage.
All information is recorded in a dedicated digital ledger designed to support transparent certification and ensure accountability across operations.
Each storage certificate is linked to a specific shipment of carbon dioxide and provides a detailed breakdown of the quantity stored, including associated life-cycle emissions from transport and facility operations.
The company said this process ensures that every certificate serves as verifiable and auditable evidence of carbon dioxide storage.
The first injection of carbon dioxide took place in August through a 100-kilometre pipeline into the Aurora reservoir, located approximately 2,600 metres below the seabed in the Norwegian North Sea.
Northern Lights is currently transporting and storing carbon dioxide from two Norwegian industrial sources, Heidelberg Materials’ cement factory in Brevik and the Hafslund Celsio waste-to-energy plant in Oslo.
In addition to domestic operations, the company has signed commercial agreements with Yara in the Netherlands, Ørsted in Denmark and Stockholm Exergi in Sweden.
Carbon dioxide shipments from Denmark and the Netherlands are expected to begin arriving at the storage facility in 2026.
The first set of certificates issued specifically covers emissions captured from the Heidelberg Materials cement factory.
Northern Lights is jointly owned by Equinor, Shell and TotalEnergies.
The project’s first development phase forms part of Longship, Norway’s government-backed full-scale carbon capture and storage programme.
Phase One has a storage capacity of 1.5 million tonnes of carbon dioxide per year and is already fully booked.
In March, the project partners reached a final investment decision for Phase Two, valued at approximately 713 million dollars.
The expansion is expected to raise transport and storage capacity to at least five million tonnes of carbon dioxide annually by 2028.
Industry observers say the issuance of certified proof of permanent carbon storage strengthens confidence in CCS as a key tool for reducing industrial emissions and meeting long-term climate targets.
