CCS Midt-Norge: An industry cluster for CO₂ capture and storage in central Norway

As part of this work, the cluster will maps different strategies for developing CO₂ management infrastructure in the region. This infrastructure will enable industry in the area to achieve low CO₂ emissions, which is expected to produce increased value in the future.

• CCS Midt-Norge Final report

CCS as a technology and solution has been internationally recognised as being critical for achieving global climate goals and contributing to negative emissions. Norway has ambitions climate targets, and several industrial companies in mid-Norway aim to reduce their CO₂ emissions. CCS is a possible way for them to do this.

Several challenges must be solved before we achieve this goal. The sector is so new that there is a lack of financial and regulatory framework, making it difficult for industry to make long-term decisions about investing in CCS. In addition, the industries with the greatest potential for reducing their CO₂ emissions are spread over a large region, making logistics and transport an important topic for the cluster.

CCS Midt-Norge aims to address these challenges by:

• Mapping the prerequisites of the industrial players in central Norway, in order to create a common CO₂ infrastructure;
• Developing and analysing CO₂ value chains within this common infrastructure;
• Creating a realistic cost estimate for several concepts for efficient CO₂ transport and intermediate storage in the region;
• Identifying and analysing business opportunities, and establishing a tentative roadmap and any regional concepts; and
• Contributing to better foundation and realism surrounding CCS in the mid-Norway region.

Norway as a whole emits approx. 50 million tonnes of CO₂ per year, and the partners in CCS Midt-Norge emit 1.5 million tonnes of CO₂ per year. The cluster is expected to lead to an increased understanding, progress and potential economies of scale related to the realisation of CCS in the region.

CCS Midt-Norge is a collaboration between:

• Elkem Thamshavn
• Equinor Tjeldbergodden,
• Franzefoss Minerals (NorFraKalk and Verdalskalk)
• Statkraft Varme
• Wacker Chemicals Norway (Holla)
• SINTEF Energy Research

The project is financed 50/50 by the industrial partners and CLIMIT – a Norwegian programme that provides financial support for the research, development and demonstration of CCS technologies. The work started in started in spring 2021 and will end in 2023. The potential for continuing this work will be evaluated along the way.

The cluster is based on a preliminary study prepared by SINTEF in 2020 on behalf of Trondheim Municipality, to learn more about using CCS as a tool to achieve their climate goals. The municipality also wanted to understand its role as a facilitator for CCS in relation to both Statkraft Varme’s waste incineration plant in Heimdal, and elsewhere in the region. A conclusion from this study was that it was appropriate to establish a project with an industry cluster of actors for cooperation and exchange of experience around CCS.