15.05.2025

First CO₂ Captured at the World’s First Full-Scale Carbon Capture Facility for Cement

Brevik CCS has reached a key milestone: 1,000 tonnes of CO_₂ have now been captured at the cement plant.

Brevik CCS is a central part of the Longship project and represents one of Norway’s most important climate initiatives in heavy industry. The facility in Brevik is poised to take the cement sector a major step forward in terms of sustainability. CO₂ captured here is transported to Øygarden and then permanently stored beneath the seabed in the North Sea.

Milestone Achieved

On Friday, 9 May, the first major operational breakthrough was achieved. More than 1,000 tonnes of CO₂ were captured and stored in large tanks at the cement plant. This marks part of the ramp-up phase before full-scale operations begin.

Giv Brantenberg, Managing Director of Heidelberg Materials Northern Europe, explains that the facility reached mechanical completion in December 2024, and that the team in Brevik has since worked intensively to prepare and test the plant under real operating conditions. As a result, 1,000 tonnes of liquid CO₂ were safely stored in the early morning of 9 May.

Brevik CCS. Photo: Brevik CCS

Breakthrough for Cement CCS

Brevik CCS is the world’s first full-scale carbon capture plant integrated into a cement facility.

“The cement sector accounts for 7–8 percent of global CO_₂ emissions. Capturing process emissions from this industry has long been considered highly challenging. The fact that Brevik CCS is now capturing CO_₂ in practice is, in our view, a breakthrough for Longship and for global climate action – both technologically and industrially.”

Harald Anvik of Gassnova SF, who leads the state’s follow-up of the Longship project

Ready for Northern Pioneer

While commissioning at Brevik continues, the transport element is also coming into place. Northern Lights’ purpose-built CO₂ carrier, Northern Pioneer, is being prepared to collect liquid CO₂, including from Brevik, and transport it to interim storage at Øygarden outside Bergen. From there, CO₂ will be sent via pipeline to a storage site deep beneath the seabed in the North Sea.

Together, the Longship project marks the beginning of a new era for CCS globally.