Shell, Equinor, TotalEnergies issue first Northern Lights CO2 storage certificates

December 10, 2025, by Nadja Skopljak

The Northern Lights joint venture (JV), encompassing oil majors Shell, Equinor, and TotalEnergies, has issued the first storage certificates for CO2 permanently stored in the Aurora reservoir in the North Sea, documenting the quantities of CO2 transported and stored.

Northern Lights; Source: Northern Lights JV

The first CO2 volumes were transported in August through the 100-kilometer pipeline and injected into the Aurora offshore reservoir 2,600 meters below the North Sea seabed offshore Norway. Following the start of the CO2 injection, Northern Lights has issued the first set of storage certificates documenting that the CO2 volumes captured at Heidelberg Materials’ cement factory in Brevik have been transported and stored permanently in the reservoir.

“Credible carbon accounting is essential to the integrity of the emerging CCS industry. It includes a precise tracking of CO₂ volumes transported and stored, as well as emissions arising across the value chain. The CO₂ accounting and measurement procedures are described in Northern Lights’ Monitoring, Reporting and Verification (MRV). Data is recorded in our digital system, which is designed as ledger for all certificates. We are proud to be able to issue the first storage certificates for our customers,” said Tim Heijn, Managing Director of Northern Lights JV.

Each certificate is issued to a specific CO2 ship cargo and details the quantity of CO2 stored, with a breakdown of its share of relevant lifecycle emissions, from initial loading to the issuance of storage certificates, which also include and account for emissions from the facilities and operations.

According to the JV, this process ensures that the certificate serves as transparent and verifiable proof of emission storage.

Worth mentioning, China’s Dalian Shipbuilding Industry (DSIC), part of China State Shipbuilding Corporation (CSSC), earlier this month delivered a new liquefied carbon dioxide (LCO2) carrier to Northern Lights JV. Northern Phoenix, the third out of four such ships ordered by the JV, will transport liquified CO2 collected from clients outside Norway to the Northern Lights’ receiving terminal in Øygarden.