Facts and FAQ

Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) refers to technologies that capture CO₂ emissions from industrial processes and store them safely and permanently underground, preventing them from entering the atmosphere.

CCS includes a range of technologies for capturing CO₂. At the Brevik plant we use post-combustion capture with liquid amine technology to capture CO₂ from flue gases. The captured CO₂ is then prepared for transport and permanently stored in geological formations beneath the seabed.

CCS helps reduce greenhouse gas emissions by preventing large volumes of CO₂ from industrial sources from reaching the atmosphere.

It is particularly important for sectors where emissions are difficult to eliminate through other means. By capturing and storing CO₂, CCS can significantly contribute to reducing total emissions and support the transition to a low-carbon economy.

CCS is especially relevant for so-called “hard-to-abate” industries, such as cement production, where a large share of emissions comes from the chemical process itself and cannot be eliminated through electrification alone.

In these sectors, CCS is a key solution to achieve deep emission reductions and enable the production of low- or net-zero carbon materials.

The Paris Agreement central aim is to strengthen the global response to the threat of climate change by keeping a global temperature rise well below 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, and to pursue efforts to limit the temperature increase even further to 1.5 degrees Celsius. Additionally, the agreement aims to strengthen the ability of countries to deal with the impacts of climate change. Without CCS, both th IPCC and IEA point out that reaching these goals will be way more difficult and expensive. 

CO₂ storage in deep geological formations beneath the seabed is considered a safe and well-established method.

The CO₂ is injected into porous rock formations located typically more than one kilometre below the seabed, where it is securely contained by impermeable rock layers. In Norway, CO₂ has been successfully stored offshore for decades, with continuous monitoring to ensure safe and permanent storage.

CO₂ has been safely stored at the Sleipner field since 1996 (around 1 million tonnes annually) and at the Snøhvit field since 2007 (approximately 700,000 tonnes annually). These projects are continuously monitored, and no leakage of CO₂ has been detected.

Yes. Through the building of the full scale Brevik CCS-project, all parties involved accumulate knowledge which may be useful for future facilities.
More about SLB  Capturi here.

CO₂ can and will be used in other industrial procedures. However, this will often just postpone the emissions. Due to the large amount of CO₂ which is now released into the atmosphere, CO₂-storage is needed in the foreseeable future. 

According to the Global CCS Institute (GCCSI), there are currently 19 large scale projects in operation and four new projects under construction with a total capacity close to 40 million tonnes of CO₂. However, Brevik CCS is the first cement plant in the world with fullscale CCS. 

Norway wants to contribute to reducing the global greenhouse gas emissions. The government therefore wants to contribute to developing CCS technology that can be shared internationally. In order to achieve the required amount of CCS projects needed, the technology has to be further developed and costs have to come down. Currently CCS is too costly for commercial industry to tackle the development on their own. Norway has good capabilities in technology development and we have strong experience in safely storing CO2 underground. This puts us in a good position to contribute to the development of CCS globally.

Read more at regjeringen