Northern Lights
Northern Lights JV is a Norwegian joint venture owned by Equinor, Shell and TotalEnergies that operates the world's first commercial cross-border CO2 transport and storage service, collecting CO2 from European industrial emitters by ship and permanently storing it in a subsea reservoir.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2020
- HeadquartersStavanger, Norway
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Northern Lights does
Northern Lights JV DA is the world's first commercial cross-border CO2 transport and storage service, operating as a General Partnership equally owned by Equinor, Shell and TotalEnergies and headquartered in Stavanger, Norway. The company provides end-to-end CO2 transport and storage as a service to European industrial emitters, collecting liquefied CO2 via a dedicated fleet of purpose-built LCO2 carriers (Northern Pioneer, Northern Pathfinder, Northern Phoenix and a fourth vessel), receiving it at its Øygarden onshore terminal in western Norway, and injecting it into the Aurora geological reservoir 2,600 meters below the North Sea seabed via a 100 km subsea pipeline. Phase 1 provides 1.5 million tonnes of annual storage capacity; Phase 2, backed by 7.5 billion NOK from the JV owners and a €131 million EU Connecting Europe Facility grant, will scale capacity to more than 5 million tonnes per year by 2028 and target a network of 35 European loading ports.
The company targets hard-to-abate industrial sectors (cement, waste-to-energy, ammonia, biomass power, wastewater) that cannot easily electrify, including Heidelberg Materials, Hafslund Oslo Celsio, Yara International, Ørsted, Stockholm Exergi and Inherit, with contracts ranging from short pilot volumes to 15-year offtake agreements. Revenue is generated through multi-year Transport and Storage Agreements (TSAs) priced per tonne of CO2 stored and transported, with a complementary digital MRV system issuing CO2 storage certificates for compliance and voluntary carbon markets. The business operates under a B2B enterprise sales model with a structured customer maturation process (scoping, NDAs, technical questionnaires, term sheets, TSA), holds EU Project of Common Interest/Project of Mutual Interest status, and is embedded in Norway's Longship government CCS project. Northern Lights became operationally live in August 2025 and continues to expand fleet, infrastructure, and geographic reach.
Technically, Northern Lights combines custom-built 7,500 m3 (Phase 1) and 12,000 m3 (Phase 2) LNG-fueled CO2 carriers equipped with rotor sails and air lubrication, an electric marine loading arm system at Øygarden, NORSAR seismic monitoring, and ANYmal autonomous inspection robotics at the unmanned terminal, with permanent storage capacity exceeding 100 million tonnes over the Aurora reservoir's lifetime.
Northern Lights firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Northern Lights
- Legal name
- Northern Lights JV DA
- Website
- https://norlights.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2020
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Northern Lights JV is a Norwegian joint venture owned by Equinor, Shell and TotalEnergies that operates the world's first commercial cross-border CO2 transport and storage service, collecting CO2 from European industrial emitters by ship and permanently storing it in a subsea reservoir.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Northern Lights industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) Services
- NAICS
- Pipeline Transportation (486)
- SIC
- Pipe Lines (No Natural Gas) (4610)
- akta.pro primary industry
- CO₂ Transport Network Hubs & Interconnects (Multi-User Hubs, Manifolds, Metering) (EUABAHAE)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- CO2 Injection / Storage-Field Pipelines (To Wells & Reservoirs) (TLAGAFAD), CO₂ Monitoring, Measurement & Verification for Storage (MMV, Seismic, DAS, Satellite) (EUABAHAJ), CO2 Pipeline Terminals, Manifolds & Interconnects (Hubs/Receipt-Delivery Points) (TLAGAFAG)
Keywords
Where Northern Lights is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Stavanger
- HQ country
- Norway
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices2 records
Markets served
Northern Lights business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Infrastructure, Operations, Supply Chain, Personnel, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- CO2 Transport and Storage as a Service: Northern Lights offers CO2 transport and storage as a service, generating revenue through long-term Transport and Storage Agreements (TSA) with industrial emitters. Customers pay for the transportation of captured CO2 via dedicated ships to the receiving terminal in Øygarden, Norway, and permanent geological storage 2,600 meters below the seabed. Revenue is contract-based with multi-year agreements.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Multi-year contract | Custom contract-based pricing for industrial CO2 transport and storage services |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels5 records
Northern Lights product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Northern Lights provides CO2 transport and storage as a service, collecting liquefied CO2 from industrial capture sites across Europe via dedicated purpose-built ships, receiving it at its Øygarden terminal in Norway, and injecting it through a 100-kilometre subsea pipeline into the Aurora geological storage reservoir 2,600 metres below the North Sea seabed. The service is delivered under long-term Transport and Storage Agreements (TSAs) with industrial emitters, with Phase 1 capacity of 1.5 million tonnes per year expanding to over 5 million tonnes annually by 2028.
Product overview
Northern Lights offers CO2 transport and storage as a service as the world's first operational cross-border CO2 transport and storage infrastructure. The service comprises three integrated components: (1) a dedicated fleet of liquefied CO2 carrier ships including Northern Pioneer, Northern Pathfinder, and Northern Phoenix, (2) an onshore receiving terminal in Øygarden, Norway, and (3) the Aurora offshore geological storage reservoir 2,600 meters below the North Sea seabed. Phase 1 provides 1.5 million tonnes annual capacity, while Phase 2 expansion targets over 5 million tonnes annually by 2028. The company also offers CO2 storage certificates via a digital MRV system for carbon market transparency.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- CO2 Transport and Storage as a Service End-to-end carbon dioxide transport and storage service for European industrial emitters, collecting liquefied CO2 from capture sites via dedicated ships, receiving it at Øygarden terminal, and injecting it into the offshore Aurora geological storage reservoir for permanent sequestration.
- Liquefied CO2 Carrier Fleet Dedicated fleet of purpose-built liquefied CO2 (LCO2) carrier ships including Northern Pioneer, Northern Pathfinder, and Northern Phoenix (7,500 m3 capacity each), with Phase 2 expansion adding next-generation 12,000 m3 dual-fuel LNG vessels for cross-border CO2 transport.
- Øygarden Receiving Terminal Onshore receiving facility in Øygarden, Norway, that receives liquefied CO2 from incoming ships, temporarily stores it in tanks, and pumps it via a 100-kilometre subsea pipeline to the offshore Aurora injection facilities.
- Aurora Offshore Storage Reservoir Geological CO2 storage reservoir located 2,600 metres below the seabed of the Norwegian North Sea, with capacity to permanently store over 100 million tonnes of CO2 over the project lifetime.
- CO2 Storage Certificates Digital storage certificates issued via the Monitoring, Reporting and Verification (MRV) system documenting volumes of CO2 transported and permanently stored in the Aurora reservoir, providing verifiable proof of emission storage for compliance and voluntary carbon markets.
Quantifiable outcome
- First CO2 storage: August 2025, CO2 from Heidelberg Materials cement factory transported via 100km pipeline and injected into Aurora reservoir 2,600m below seabed
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Northern Lights
Customer profileNamed customers6 records
Segments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Northern Lights technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature5 records
Northern Lights partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha (K Line)coreManages and operates Northern Lights CO2 transport ships. Charter agreements for dedicated LCO2 carriers including Northern Pioneer, Northern Pathfinder, and Northern Phoenix. Partner in Phase 2 fleet expansion.
- MISC BerhadcoreCharter partner for LCO2 carrier operations. Awarded time charter contracts as part of consortium with K Line for Phase 2 fleet expansion. Strategic shift from fossil fuel transport toward green energy logistics.
- Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL)coreCharter partner for two new 12,000m3 Ice Class LNG dual-fuel LCO2 carriers under Phase 2 expansion. Shipbuilding contracts with HD Hyundai Heavy Industries.
- Dalian Shipbuilding Offshore Co. (DSOC)coreShipbuilder constructing LCO2 carriers for Northern Lights fleet. Built Northern Pioneer, Northern Pathfinder, Northern Phoenix, and will construct Phase 2 expansion vessels.
- HD Hyundai Heavy IndustriescoreShipbuilder contracted for Phase 2 expansion vessels including 12,000m3 dual-fuel LCO2 carriers.
- SLB OneSubseacoreEPC contract for Northern Lights CO2 transport and storage project expansion, including subsea infrastructure and injection systems.
- ABL GroupminorMarine warranty survey contract for Phase 2 covering marine verification, warranty services, site attendances, and technical document review from early 2026 through 2027.
- GassnovacoreRepresents Norwegian state and acts as coordinating body for the Longship project. Manages government involvement and transparency in CCS knowledge sharing.
- InheritminorCarbon removal company delivering biogenic CO2 from Veas wastewater treatment plant to Northern Lights for pilot project handling up to 7,000 tonnes per year.
Scale indicators8 records
Recent moves12 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Northern Lights competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Porthos: Rotterdam-based CCS project set to store ~2.5M tonnes/year of industrial CO2 in depleted offshore gas fields from 2026. Direct competitor for the same European emitter customer base (Heidelberg, Air Liquide, ExxonMobil affiliates) via a pipeline-based model.
- Aramis: Netherlands CCS pipeline project by Shell, TotalEnergies, Air Liquide and others targeting Rotterdam port industrial emitters. Direct competitor with overlapping JV shareholders, sharing the same Rotterdam industrial cluster as Porthos.
- Acorn CCS: UK CCS project centered on the St Fergus gas terminal and Acorn reservoir, targeting Scottish industrial cluster emitters. Comparable open-access T&S concept, though pipeline-tied and at earlier development stage than Northern Lights.
- CCS Denmark (Greensand successor): Denmark's CCS infrastructure project following the Greensand pilot, operated with Ineos Energy and Wintershall Dea. Targets storage of biogenic and industrial CO2 in North Sea saline aquifers — directly comparable geological storage play in the same region as Northern Lights' Aurora reservoir.
Emerging players
- Aker Carbon Capture: Norwegian-listed carbon capture technology provider delivering amine-based capture plants. Adjacent in the CCS value chain (capture-side vs. Northern Lights' transport-and-storage focus) but targeting the same European hard-to-abate customer segments.
Broad incumbents
- ExxonMobil Low Carbon Solutions: Operates large-scale CCS hubs (LaBarge, Baytown, multiple announced projects). Broader incumbent with overlapping industrial emitter customers globally; competing for the same corporate offtake and storage service demand in Europe.
- Wintershall Dea (CCS activities): German E&P company with major CCS ambitions in the North Sea, including Greensand Denmark, CO2nnectnow (German offshore transport network), and Northern Lights competitor Aurora region exploration. Broad incumbent with comparable geological storage assets.
Others
- SLB (Schlumberger): Global energy services and technology provider with a dedicated CCS portfolio (subsea injection, well engineering) — awarded the EPC contract for Northern Lights Phase 2. Adjacent ecosystem participant and potential competing CCS infrastructure developer in other regions.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights8 records
Customer concentration
Northern Lights social profiles
Digital presenceNorthern Lights compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance3 records
Northern Lights financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Northern Lights leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles5 records
Northern Lights funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Northern Lights M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Northern Lights
What does Northern Lights do?
Northern Lights provides CO2 transport and storage as a service, collecting liquefied CO2 from industrial capture sites across Europe via dedicated purpose-built ships, receiving it at its Øygarden terminal in Norway, and injecting it through a 100-kilometre subsea pipeline into the Aurora geological storage reservoir 2,600 metres below the North Sea seabed. The service is delivered under long-term Transport and Storage Agreements (TSAs) with industrial emitters, with Phase 1 capacity of 1.5 million tonnes per year expanding to over 5 million tonnes annually by 2028.
Is Northern Lights a public or private company?
Northern Lights is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was Northern Lights founded?
Northern Lights was founded in 2020. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Northern Lights based?
Northern Lights is headquartered in Stavanger, Norway, in the Europe region.
How does Northern Lights make money?
One revenue line is on record: CO2 Transport and Storage as a Service.
Who are Northern Lights's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Porthos, Aramis, Acorn CCS and CCS Denmark (Greensand successor). Aker Carbon Capture is listed as an emerging player. Broad incumbents are ExxonMobil Low Carbon Solutions and Wintershall Dea (CCS activities). SLB (Schlumberger) is listed as an others.
Does Northern Lights have an API?
No public API is recorded for Northern Lights.
What industry is Northern Lights in?
Northern Lights's product category is Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EUABAHAE, CO₂ Transport Network Hubs & Interconnects (Multi-User Hubs, Manifolds, Metering), with a secondary code of TLAGAFAD, CO2 Injection / Storage-Field Pipelines (To Wells & Reservoirs). Its NAICS code is 486 and its SIC code is 4610.