Core Insights - Shell plc, TotalEnergies SE, and Equinor ASA have achieved a significant milestone with the Northern Lights CCS project in Norway, marking the launch of the world's first third-party CO2 transport and storage facility [1] - The project aims to provide a scalable model for carbon capture and storage, contributing to Europe's greenhouse gas emissions reduction efforts [1] Group 1: Project Overview - The Northern Lights project has successfully injected and stored CO2 2,600 meters below the seabed, with the first volumes now secured [1][8] - Phase 1 of the project has a storage capacity of 1.5 million tons of CO2 per year, which is already fully booked [3][8] - An expansion to Phase 2 has been approved, increasing capacity to at least 5 million tons annually, driven by growing demand [3][4] Group 2: Logistics and Operations - CO2 is transported from Heidelberg Materials AG's cement plant in Brevik, Norway, to the Øygarden facility via a 100-kilometer pipeline [2] - Specialized vessels, Northern Pathfinder and Northern Pioneer, designed by Shell engineers, are among the largest liquefied carbon carriers globally [2] Group 3: Strategic Importance - The Northern Lights project exemplifies collaboration among governments, industries, and customers to create new value chains for decarbonization [4] - Equinor, as the technical service provider, aims to develop 30-50 million tons of annual CO2 transport and storage capacity by 2035, indicating a strong commitment to CCS initiatives [9]