Skarpenord is to deliver valve remote control systems to two CO2 carriers that will transport liquid carbon dioxide to the new Northern Lights CO2 storage facility – proving that our solutions are just as suitable for green purposes as our traditional shipping and offshore projects.

In a partnership between Equinor, Shell and Total Energies, Northern Lights is developing infrastructure to transport CO2 by ship from industrial emitters in Norway and other European countries to a receiving terminal in western Norway. Here the CO2 will be stored intermediately before further transportation by pipeline to permanent storage in a geological reservoir 2,600 metres under the North Sea seabed.

The first two CO2 carriers, each with a capacity of 7,500 m3 liquid CO2, are now under construction at Dalian Shipbuilding (DSIC) in China. The vessels are expected to be operational in 2024, fully fitted with valve remote control systems from Skarpenord. Our scope of supply per ship includes 28 actuators, one solenoid valve cabinet, and one hydraulic power unit. “In Skarpenord, we are happy and proud to be able to contribute to accelerating the industrial decarbonisation of Europe. And although this delivery is not among our largest, it is still a very important one – as it clearly proves that our products and solutions are just as suitable for green projects in the ocean-related industries as they are for our traditional shipping and offshore projects, says Bjørn Erik Eliassen,” sales director in Skarpenord.

Northern Lights will be the first ever cross-border, open-source CO2 transport and storage infrastructure network. Phase one of the project will be completed mid-2024 with a capacity of up to 1.5 million tonnes of CO2 per year. The ambition is to expand capacity by an additional 3.5 million tonnes to a total of 5 million tonnes, dependent on market demand, and the receiving terminal, offshore pipeline, and the umbilical to the offshore template will constructed to accommodate these additional volumes.