Carbon storage
Carbon capture and storage (CCS) entails capturing, transporting and storing CO2 from sources such as power generation or industrial emissions. The objective of CCS is to limit emission of CO2 to the atmosphere by capturing CO2, and then storing it safely.
Storage and usage of CO2
Norway has extensive experience with storage of carbon dioxide (CO2) under the seabed on the continental shelf. The Norwegian Petroleum Directorate is working on issues related to the capture, transport and storage of CO2. We are mapping areas suited for long-term and safe storage and are also assessing the use of CO2 to enhance oil recovery.
Mapping of CO2 atlas
The Norwegian Petroleum Directorate has mapped potential storage facilities for CO2 on the Norwegian Shelf, and this work has resulted in an atlas. The atlas shows that it is possible to store more than 80 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide on the Shelf, which is equivalent to the current level of Norwegian CO2 emissions, for 1000 years.
January 2019 marked the first time the authorities have awarded a permit to exploit an area for injection and storage of CO2. The awarded area is located near the Troll field in the North Sea.
In September 2018, the Northern Lights project handed in their application to inject and store CO2 in the underground on the Norwegian Continental Shelf. From left: Diego Alejandro Vazquez Anzola (Shell), Laurence Pinturier (Total), Per Gunnar Stavland (Equinor), Eva Halland and Wenche Tjelta Johansen (both the NPD). Photo: Arne Bjørøen.
Updated: 28/08/2023