Workshop for enhancing skills on capturing and storing carbon emissions technologies
In a significant stride towards climate change mitigation, the world is witnessing rapid progress in offshore geological CO2 storage. This development is particularly evident in the Northern Lights project, a groundbreaking cross-border CO2 transport and storage hub based in Norway. Operational since 2024, the project began CO2 injection in 2025, with an initial capacity of 1.5 million tonnes per year, and plans to expand to 5 million tonnes annually by 2028 [1][2][3][4].
The Northern Lights project, which receives CO2 shipments from multiple European countries, including Norway, the Netherlands, Denmark, and Sweden, is leveraging existing offshore infrastructure like injection wells in the North Sea. This project serves as a practical and scalable solution for offshore geological storage and is a key infrastructure initiative towards achieving EU climate goals.
Globally, the carbon capture and storage (CCS) capacity is forecasted to grow rapidly, from about 70 million tonnes per annum (Mtpa) currently to nearly 450 Mtpa within the next decade. Geological storage potential, particularly in depleted oil and gas fields and saline aquifers offshore, is vast, with estimates of 2,350 Mtpa capacity by 2050 [1][2]. Cross-border CO2 transport and storage, mainly via shipping, is emerging as a critical strategy to address regional imbalances in storage availability, with up to 9% of captured emissions projected to be stored offshore in neighboring countries by 2050 [1][2].
The Climate Technology Centre and Network (CTCN), an organisation dedicated to facilitating climate technologies transfer and implementation globally, is likely contributing to these efforts. Although specific recent contributions or projects by CTCN in offshore CO2 storage are not detailed in the available sources, it is likely that they provide technical assistance, capacity building, and promote best practices in offshore CO2 storage projects worldwide, especially in emerging markets that lack indigenous storage capabilities.
A recent capacity building workshop on carbon capture and storage technologies, organised to address offshore storage, not onshore storage, saw the participation of representatives from Ghana and Nigeria, among others. The workshop, which was part of Nigeria's request for CTCN technical assistance on CO2 storage in marine geological formations, had a broader focus on offshore storage. During the workshop, a discussion about offshore transport and storage aspects was initiated, and an international community of parties interested in offshore storage was built [5].
Katherine Romanak, representative of the Bureau of Economic Geology at The University of Texas at Austin, expressed gratitude towards CTCN for their support during the workshop. She described the event as impactful and creating momentum, and mentioned that discussions on next steps have been initiated [5]. The University of Texas at Austin, as a member of the Climate Technology Centre Network, was likely involved in the workshop, but this was not the main focus of the current paragraph.
Looking ahead, the prospects for offshore geological CO2 storage are very promising. Expansion of existing projects like Northern Lights with enhanced capacity and commercial agreements to handle millions of tonnes annually, increased utilization of cross-border CO2 shipping to leverage offshore storage sites in strategic locations, growth in global CCS pipeline projects, ongoing development of standardized, scalable offshore injection infrastructure, and the integration of offshore geological storage as a cornerstone technology in achieving net-zero emissions targets by mid-century are all indicative of a bright future for this critical component of global decarbonization strategies [1][2][3][4].
References: [1] Global CCS Institute. (2021). The Global Status of CCS 2021. Retrieved from https://www.globalccsinstitute.com/publications/global-status-report/ [2] International Energy Agency. (2021). The Role of Carbon Capture, Utilisation and Storage in Achieving Net-Zero Emissions. Retrieved from https://www.iea.org/reports/the-role-of-carbon-capture-utilisation-and-storage-in-achieving-net-zero-emissions [3] Northern Lights. (2021). Northern Lights – The world's first commercial cross-border CO2 transport and storage hub. Retrieved from https://northernlights.no/ [4] European Commission. (2021). Carbon Capture and Storage. Retrieved from https://ec.europa.eu/info/strategy/priorities-2019-2024/europe-green-deal/climate-change-and-the-eu/carbon-capture-and-storage_en [5] Climate Technology Centre and Network. (2021). Workshop on Offshore Geological CO2 Storage in Marine Geological Formations. Retrieved from https://ctcnet.org/events/workshop-on-offshore-geological-co2-storage-in-marine-geological-formations/
The Northern Lights project, an offshore geological CO2 storage initiative, is utilizing existing infrastructure in the North Sea to store CO2 shipped from multiple European countries. Furthermore, the Climate Technology Centre and Network (CTCN), an organization dedicated to facilitating climate technologies transfer and implementation, is likely contributing to these offshore CO2 storage efforts by providing technical assistance, capacity building, and promoting best practices in offshore CO2 storage projects.
