Norway and France Agree to Cross-Border CO2 Transport and Storage

 
Norway and France completed an agreement paving the way for transporting CO2 from French industrial emission sources to Norway for storage beneath the North Sea. It is a key step in expanding the fledgling carbon capture and storage industry and comes as Norway officially commissioned the first CCS project for commercial operations.

The signing ceremony took place on June 23 in Norway coordinated with a visit by French President Emmanuel Macron to Norway. Macron has called for establishing programs for CO2 capture as an important part of France’s climate strategy. In 2022, the countries signed a letter of intent and recently France passed the necessary legislative amendments in its National Assembly to enable cross-border transport of CO2.

The agreement enables transport of CO2 from French industrial hubs such as Le Havre, Dunkirk, and Saint-Nazaire to storage sites on the Norwegian continental shelf. It will facilitate the handling of French emissions through permanent offshore storage in the North Sea and supports the development of an integrated European market for carbon capture and storage (CCS). 

“This arrangement is a breakthrough for European climate cooperation. It demonstrates how we can work together to find practical solutions for cutting emissions and securing the future of industry in a low-carbon society,” said Norway’s Minister of Energy, Terje Aasland.

They predicted that the agreement would provide predictability and encourage further expansion of storage capacity on the Norwegian shelf. Last week, the Norwegian Government’s Longship project was officially marked as operationally ready, becoming the first commercially ready CCS project for the North Sea. It is the first to have a full license for CO2 storage on the Norwegian continental shelf. Norway has issued a further 12 exploration licenses and has offered one additional license.

Northern Lights reported that it has already started the commissioning phase, transporting liquefied CO2 aboard its first vessel, Northern Pioneer, from its first customer, Heidelberg Materials. The company’s second vessel, Northern Pathfinder, was recently christened and took part in events in Oslo as it completes its commissioning. It is also expected to start service this summer. Two more vessels have been ordered, and the company also recently received approval to expand its storage facility in Norway. When completed, it will increase transport and storage capacity from 1.5 million tonnes to a minimum of 5 million tonnes of CO2 per year.