The region has many dispersed emission sources along an extensive coastline, while several offshore storage solutions are being planned. This makes it important to consider the region as a whole to build larger volumes, ensure flexibility, and avoid solutions that lead to unnecessary emissions or reduced efficiency. The project will assess how different transport alternatives are influenced by the location of CO₂ storage sites, and how actors can collaborate on shared infrastructure.
A key part of the project is to explore opportunities for coordination between CCS and CCU initiatives. This may enable solutions that support both permanent storage and industrial use of CO₂, thereby providing greater flexibility for regional industries. Robust transport and handling solutions are essential to reduce risk for existing industry considering CO₂ capture, while also making Northern Norway more attractive for new industrial establishment. The project’s findings will also be relevant for other regions, demonstrating how logistics and shared infrastructure can be optimized to reduce overall costs.
The project builds on previous and ongoing work carried out by individual industrial actors, as well as earlier SINTEF-led projects such as CO₂ HUB Nord and CO₂ HUB Nordland. Its purpose is to identify CO₂ storage sites, technical solutions, intermediate storage options, shipping routes, transport capacity, and costs for transporting CO₂ from emitters to storage sites for relevant sources in Northern Norway. This will be achieved by:
- Optimising collaboration and cluster effects to leverage potential synergies
- Providing a cost analysis for the entire logistics chain and comparing different alternatives
- Identifying where and how the decision basis must be strengthened to enable investment decisions
The project is highly relevant at this time, as it aims to identify opportunities to reduce CO₂ emissions from Norwegian industry while maintaining jobs and supporting new energy-related industrial development.
How SINTEF contributes (Implementation)
The project is organised into six work packages, each addressing different parts of the logistics chain from source to storage. Initially, the work will map CO₂ volumes, distances from emission sources, available storage capacity, and future plans. The project will then assess relevant logistics solutions, including opportunities to coordinate infrastructure with CCU projects, and examine how impurities in the flue gas may influence the choice of capture technology and the feasibility of quay or floating terminal solutions. Techno-economic analyses with sensitivity assessments will be carried out to evaluate how changes in CO₂ volumes influence technical solutions and overall logistics costs. Finally, the project will consider how CO₂-handling infrastructure can help secure and further develop the industrial base in the region.
