NORSAR and Northern Lights Collaborate on CO2 Storage Monitoring in the North Sea

18 March 2025

Senior Geophysicist at Northern Lights Matthieu Vinchon, Norwegian Minister of Energy Terje Aasland (Labour Party), and CEO of NORSAR Anne Strømmen Lycke. (Image credit: NORSAR)

The independent research foundation NORSAR and Northern Lights JV have signed an agreement to monitor the CO2 storage reservoir in the North Sea. This initiative will enhance commercial opportunities for Northern Lights and Norway while marking the beginning of international exports of both storage capacity and Norwegian-developed technology.

“Norway has a leading position in carbon management and has, for many years, worked to develop carbon capture and storage as a cost-effective climate measure from an international perspective. The agreement between NORSAR and Northern Lights provides a cost-effective solution for monitoring CO2 storage with technology developed in Norway, which can be exported to other countries,” said Minister of Energy Terje Aasland.

The potential for storage on the Norwegian continental shelf corresponds to 80 billion tonnes of CO2, equivalent to Norwegian emissions for 1,600 years, according to estimates from the Norwegian Shelf Directorate.

“Leveraging decades of expertise in CO2 storage on the Norwegian Continental Shelf, Northern Lights will provide Norwegian and European industry with safe and permanent CO2 storage within the Aurora license. Continuous monitoring of CO2 injection, storage, and seismic activity will support safe and reliable operations,” said Northern Lights JV Managing Director Tim Heijn.

Monitoring Provides Trust and Security

NORSAR will establish and operate a permanent monitoring station near Bergen, using cutting-edge technology to detect and analyze seismic activity related to CO2 injection in the Aurora reservoir. This data will support Northern Lights in maintaining operational integrity and ensure safe injection and storage.

“Commercial CO2 storage is a new business area with immense potential for Norway. It is crucial to build trust from day one. This monitoring will also reassure authorities and the public that the storage site maintains its integrity throughout both the injection and long-term storage phases,” said NORSAR CEO Anne Strømmen Lycke.

NORSAR’s solution can also be utilized by other storage facilities in Norway and exported internationally.

“The agreement with Northern Lights is an important affirmation that the domestic market has confidence in us,” said Lycke.

A New Application of Norwegian-Developed Technology

The technology to be used on Holsnøy has been enhanced through a series of research and development projects supported by the Climate fund and the EU, with Northern Lights’ owners—Shell, TotalEnergies, and Equinor—actively partnering with the University of Bergen and Viridien.

In practice, the project involves the reuse of investments made by the Norwegian government in the establishment of NORSAR as the National Data Centre responsible for monitoring the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty. The technology, originally developed to detect vibrations in the ground, has been further refined and will now be used to monitor CO2 injections and detect any induced seismic activity.

The Minister of Energy believes that the prospects for CO2 storage in the North Sea are promising as more and more countries embrace carbon capture and storage as a climate solution. GEUS in Denmark and KNMI in the Netherlands, both National Data Centers under the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty, are in the process of being assigned the same task for storage sites in their respective countries.

“CO2 management will be an important contribution to achieving the temperature target of the Paris Agreement. The government aims to facilitate commercial CO2 storage on the Norwegian continental shelf. With world-leading Norwegian technology, experience, and storage capabilities, we are at the forefront,” says Aasland.