The world is paying close attention to Norway’s Northern Lights Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) project — the first ever cross-border, open-source CO₂ transport and storage infrastructure network. It marks a major milestone in the global effort to reduce emissions, especially in hard-to-abate sectors.
But this achievement didn’t happen overnight. It’s the result of decades of strategic policymaking, robust research and development (R&D), and deep collaboration across government, industry, and academia — both within Norway and across the EU.
As Indonesia works to meet its net-zero targets and position itself as a regional CCS hub, understanding Norway’s success is not just inspiring — it’s essential.
That’s why ECADIN, together with PT Pertamina Hulu Energi, conducted a CCS Benchmarking Program in Norway from 19–23 May 2025, engaging with the country’s top CCS leaders and institutions. The visit was an eye-opening opportunity to learn from the forefront of global CCS deployment.
Benchmarking Program in Norway:
- Norwegian Ministry of Energy
- Gassnova SF – Norway’s state enterprise for CCS innovation
- gigaCCS – national CCS research center
- Philip Ringrose – CCS expert from NTNU (Norwegian University of Science and Technology)
- Northern Lights JV – developers of the cross-border storage infrastructure
The Indonesian delegation also had the honor of meeting H.E. Teuku Faizasyah, Indonesian Ambassador to Norway, and Astari Mareska Daenuwy, First Secretary at the Indonesian Embassy in Oslo, who both expressed strong support for advancing international knowledge exchange on CCS.
Key Takeaways from the Visit
The discussions in Norway revealed five strategic lessons that can help unlock Indonesia’s CCS potential:
- ✅ Integrated policy and regulatory framework is critical to attract investment and ensure long-term project viability.
- ✅ Balanced business models are needed to align cost, revenue, and risk—paving the way for scalable deployment.
- ✅ Carbon valuation mechanisms (like carbon pricing and removal credits) must be established to create meaningful financial incentives.
- ✅ Collaborative R&D between government, industry, and academia drives innovation and technical capability.
- ✅ CO₂ is not a hydrocarbon – the infrastructure, behavior, and handling of carbon dioxide differ greatly, meaning we must continue building expertise.
As a knowledge and expertise hub in energy and sustainability, ECADIN believes that an integrated business model that attracts investment—combined with strong policy and research and development—is essential to enabling CCS in Indonesia. This approach will position the country as a regional leader in decarbonization and accelerate emissions reductions in hard-to-abate sectors.
Our sincere thanks to the experts and partners who welcomed and knowledge shared from Alexander Engh, Johanne A., Jostein Dahl Karlsen, Dag Erlend Henriksen, Olav Bauer-Nilsen, Nicola Marsh, Francesco Finotti, Elin Skurtveit, Tore Ingvald Bjørnarå, Jhon-Meyer Muñoz Barrera, Ivar Kuven, Candra Sutama, and Lulu Intan Fatmawati.
