Rotork supplies actuators to the Northern Lights Project

Visualisation of the Northern Lights project onshore facilities

Rotork electric actuators selected for Norwegian ‘next generation’ carbon capture storage project

Rotork has been awarded a contract to supply IQ3 and Skilmatic SI range actuators to an essential and unique industrial decarbonisation project in Norway.

Northern Lights is developing the world’s first open-source CO2 transport and storage infrastructure. It is a major milestone towards decarbonising Europe, and as a first-of-its-kind operation, it is trailblazing for similar projects in the future.

To meet the Norwegian and European Union’s long-term climate targets, a full-scale Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) project called "Longship" is scheduled to be operational by 2024. Northern Lights provides CO2 transport and storage as a service as part of this full-scale operation.

The process begins when the liquefied CO2 is shipped from industrial capture sites to an onshore receiving terminal located on the Norwegian west coast.

At the receiving terminal, liquefied CO2 will be transferred from the ship to intermediate storage tanks. From there, the liquefied CO2 will be transported by pipelines 100 km offshore to be injected and stored safely and permanently in a saline aquifer 2.6 km under the seabed.

Skilmatic SI actuators were selected for CO2 storage tank applications at the onshore receiving terminal; the actuators feature smart technology so that in the event of an Emergency Shutdown (ESD) valves will close to protect the system.

IQ3 actuators will operate shut-off valves along the pipeline when required, in line with stringent safety system requirements. Equinor chose Rotork’s robust, safe and reliable actuators due to their prior experience with Rotork products in the oil and gas offshore environment. The actuators are due to be installed in 2023.

A significant strategic ambition for the Northern Lights project supply chain was for ‘zero maintenance’. Rotork’s flow control solutions have a proven track record of extensive reliability for decades, perfectly suiting this project.

The Northern Lights project aligns with Rotork’s commitment to supporting the energy transition. Rotork will continue to focus on principle needs for next-generation CCS projects, including optimising operations, improving efficiency and reducing risks.