#77 How can Northern Lights realize CCS for Europe? (with Tim Heijn, Northern Lights)
Nov 1, 2024
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Tim Heijn, Managing Director of Northern Lights, shares his extensive expertise from major companies like Shell and TotalEnergies while diving into Europe's largest carbon capture and storage project. He discusses how Northern Lights plays a pivotal role in Norway’s Longship initiative, the innovative infrastructure for CO2 transport, and the market challenges. Heijn emphasizes the importance of building trust among stakeholders, government support for CCS, and the future potential of utilizing depleted gas fields for sustainable solutions.
Northern Lights, a collaboration among major energy companies, represents Europe's largest CCS initiative aimed at significantly reducing industrial CO2 emissions.
The project underscores the importance of strong policies and funding to foster a sustainable carbon market and support CCS technology expansion.
Deep dives
Overview of Northern Lights Project
Northern Lights is currently the largest operational carbon capture and storage (CCS) project in Europe, developed as a collaboration among Equinor, Shell, and Total Energies. Officially inaugurated in September 2024, the project aims to provide transportation and storage services for CO2 emissions from various industrial sources, beginning with the Longship project. This initiative has deep roots, tracing back to the 1990s, with significant government funding supporting the first demonstration project in Norway. Northern Lights plans to inject CO2 into a saline aquifer offshore, showcasing its commitment to tackling climate change through effective carbon storage solutions.
Importance and Methodology of CCS
Carbon capture and storage is critical in addressing rising CO2 levels in the atmosphere, which are directly linked to climate change. The podcast emphasizes three primary approaches to combat climate change: enhancing energy efficiency, transitioning to renewable energy, and deploying CCS technology, particularly for industries where alternative solutions are limited. Northern Lights targets major emitters such as cement factories and waste incinerators, where capturing CO2 presents significant challenges. By offering practical and scalable CCS solutions, Northern Lights aims to facilitate substantial reductions in industrial greenhouse gas emissions.
Future Developments and Market Dynamics
Looking forward, Northern Lights is preparing to expand its capacity from 1.5 million tons of CO2 per year to potentially 5 million tons, with the goal of establishing a commercial model that supports CCS maturity. The current phase involves securing contracts with various industrial customers, including ammonia and bioenergy plants. The emerging carbon market faces uncertainties, but increasing competition is anticipated as more CCS projects are developed across Europe. The role of policies and substantial funding is vital for nurturing a sustainable carbon market and achieving cost-effective solutions that will benefit both the environment and industry stakeholders.
In this episode, we sit down with Tim Heijn, Managing Director of Northern Lights, to explore the carbon capture and storage (CCS) project transforming CO2 management in Europe.
Tim shares insights from his extensive career in energy, from his time at Shell, Maersk Oil, and TotalEnergies, to his current role leading Northern Lights’ efforts to store CO2 safely beneath the North Sea. We discuss the project’s role in Norway’s Longship initiative, how CCS works, and its potential to help industries reduce their carbon footprint.
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