Burckhardt Compression lands compressor order for industrial-scale CO₂ carrier

The Northern Lights CO₂ receiving terminal in the municipality of Øygarden in western Norway. Burckhard Compression will supply compression equipment for a liquefied carbon dioxide carrier for the Northern Lights project. (Image: Northern Lights)

Burckhardt Compression has secured an order to supply compression equipment for what the company describes as the first industrial-scale liquefied carbon dioxide (LCO₂) carrier being deployed as part of the Northern Lights carbon capture and storage (CCS) project.

The company said the order represents another step in the development of transportation infrastructure needed to support large-scale CCS projects, which increasingly rely on marine transport to move captured carbon dioxide from industrial facilities to permanent storage sites.

Purpose-built LCO₂ carriers are emerging as a key component of the CCS value chain, particularly in Europe where industrial emitters and offshore storage locations are often separated by long distances and national borders. Shipping allows captured CO₂ to be transported to centralized storage hubs without requiring dedicated pipeline infrastructure for every project.

The vessel will support Northern Lights, the world’s first operational cross-border CO₂ transport and storage network. The project receives captured carbon dioxide from industrial facilities, transports it to an onshore terminal in Øygarden, Norway, and injects it into permanent storage reservoirs beneath the North Sea.

Northern Lights entered operation in 2025 and is expanding capacity as additional European industrial emitters seek carbon storage solutions.

Burckhardt Compression will supply its K Laby compressor technology for the vessel. The company said the reciprocating compressors were selected based on their operational flexibility, energy efficiency and suitability for liquefied gas applications.

The project also reflects the increasing scale of CO₂ shipping infrastructure. While earlier CCS projects largely relied on pilot-scale transportation systems, the new vessel is designed for industrial-scale operations and is intended to support the standardization of CO₂ transport as the market develops.

Andreas Brautsch, president of Burckhardt Compression’s Systems Division, said industrial-scale CO₂ shipping is becoming an important enabler for commercial CCS deployment.

For compressor manufacturers, the growth of CO₂ transportation networks represents a new market opportunity as governments and industry invest in infrastructure needed to support long-term decarbonization goals. In addition to storage facilities and pipelines, CCS projects require compression equipment at capture sites, transport terminals, shipping vessels and injection facilities.

The Northern Lights project is backed by a consortium consisting of Equinor, Shell and TotalEnergies and is widely viewed as a model for future cross-border carbon transport and storage networks in Europe.

Burckhardt Compression said the order builds on its experience supplying compressors for liquefied gas applications and reflects growing demand for equipment supporting emerging low-carbon energy and industrial infrastructure.