Wedoany.com Report-Dec.12, Northern Lights, the carbon capture and storage (CCS) joint venture between Shell, Equinor, and TotalEnergies, has issued the world's first CO₂ storage certificates for volumes permanently sequestered in the Aurora reservoir beneath the North Sea.

The initial CO₂ volumes arrived in August via a 100 km subsea pipeline and were injected into the Aurora formation at a depth of 2,600 metres offshore Norway. The certified CO₂ was captured at Heidelberg Materials' cement plant in Brevik, Norway, transported by ship, offloaded at the onshore terminal in Øygarden, and piped to the offshore storage site.

Each certificate corresponds to a specific ship cargo and states the exact quantity of CO₂ stored, together with a detailed breakdown of lifecycle emissions generated from capture through transportation, injection, and verification.

"Credible carbon accounting is essential to the integrity of the emerging CCS industry. It includes a precise tracking of CO₂ volumes transported and stored, as well as emissions arising across the value chain. The CO₂ accounting and measurement procedures are described in Northern Lights' Monitoring, Reporting and Verification (MRV). Data is recorded in our digital system, which is designed as ledger for all certificates. We are proud to be able to issue the first storage certificates for our customers," said Tim Heijn, Managing Director of Northern Lights JV.

The digital ledger ensures transparent, verifiable documentation that can be used by customers for regulatory reporting and carbon-credit purposes.

Earlier this month, Dalian Shipbuilding Industry Co. (DSIC), a subsidiary of China State Shipbuilding Corporation, delivered Northern Phoenix, the third of four purpose-built liquefied CO₂ carriers ordered by the joint venture. The vessel will collect CO₂ from industrial emitters outside Norway and deliver it to the Øygarden receiving terminal for permanent storage.

Northern Lights Phase 1 provides up to 1.5 million tonnes per year of cross-border CO₂ storage capacity and is the first commercial-scale CCS project to offer third-party access for permanent geological storage in Europe.