• Waste incineration is the safest and most environmentally friendly method of disposing of waste fractions that society cannot, or should not, reuse or recycle.
• Hafslund Celsio is now introducing the next step in emission reduction and carbon removal by capturing and permanently storing CO2 from waste incineration.
• 50 percent of the waste that is disposed of at the Klemetsrud plant is of biogenic origin. By capturing the biogenic CO2, Hafslund Celsio can offer BECCS (Bio Energy with Carbon Capture and Storage) to the voluntary carbon removal market.

Norway's largest district heating network and waste incineration plant

Hafslund Celsio owns and operates Norway's largest district heating network, located in the Oslo region. The largest source into the district heating network is surplus heat from waste incineration. The company's plant at Klemetsrud, on the outskirts of Oslo, is the country's largest waste incineration plant and processes an estimated 350,000 tonnes of waste annually. The final treatment of waste creates carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, of both fossil and biogenic origin, of around 350,000 tonnes per year. The incineration plant is the largest point source of fossil CO2 emissions in the municipality of Oslo, accounting for 17 percent of the emissions in the municipality.

To reduce emissions and meet Oslo’s ambitious climate goals, the company – with support from the Norwegian state and the municipality of Oslo – is determined to establish a full-scale carbon capture and storage (CCS) facility to capture and permanently store the carbon dioxide that the facility currently emits.

Langskip and Northern Lights

Hafslund Celsio is, together with cement manufacturer Heidelberg Materials, one of two capture facilities in the Norwegian demonstration project Langskip. Langskip is Europe’s first open value chain for CCS, including transport and permanent storage under the seabed in the North Sea by Northern Lights.

Northern Lights is a joint venture of energy companies Equinor, Shell and TotalEnergies. Northern Lights has established a full-scale transport and storage solution and is ready to receive the first deliveries of liquid CO2 in 2024. Hafslund Celsio has secured storage capacity with Northern Lights through the state aid agreement.

Hafslund Celsio will transport liquid CO2 with emission-free trucks to an intermediate storage facility at the Port of Oslo. There, transport and storage operator Northern Lights will dock and load the captured CO2 onto tankers before sailing to its facility at Øygarden outside Bergen, where it will then permanently store the CO2 under the seabed in the North Sea.

Biogenic CO2

Around half of the waste processed at the waste incineration plant at Klemetsrud comes from biological sources. These include food waste, paper, cardboard and wood. The carbon dioxide emissions that occur when this waste is burned are biogenic and part of the natural carbon cycle. By capturing and storing these emissions, carbon dioxide is removed from the atmosphere, resulting in negative carbon emissions.

This is called Bio-CCS or BECCS, and the European Commission, the UN and the International Energy Agency emphasize that it is of great importance for achieving the world's climate goals. The carbon removal volumes captured at Klemetsrud will be measured and verified by a third party.

Hafslund Celsio offers companies a way to reduce their carbon footprint

Hafslund Celsio offers companies and organizations the opportunity to neutralize their climate footprint by purchasing carbon removal certificates, which correspond to a certain amount of captured and permanently stored biogenic CO2 when the plant is in operation, which is planned for 2028.

By choosing to purchase carbon removal certificates from Hafslund Celsio's project, the buyer will contribute to a positive final investment decision (FID).

At full capacity, the carbon capture plant at Klemetsrud will capture up to 175,000 tons of biogenic CO2 per year, in addition to reducing Oslo's fossil emissions by 17%.

“We offer a solution to companies that do not have the opportunity to reduce all their emissions. This applies not only to industrial sectors such as steel, energy, chemicals, cement and aviation, but almost all sectors with “Scope 3” emissions. By purchasing carbon removal certificates, they can neutralize their difficult emissions and thus achieve their climate goals,” says Jannicke Gerner Bjerkås, Director of CCS and Carbon Markets, Hafslund Celsio.

SEB has been mandated to sell Hafslund Celsio’s carbon removal certificates to a broad audience of potential buyers. The bank is a pioneer in this emerging market and has previously received a similar mandate from Norwegian project developer Inherit Carbon Solutions.

Maximilian Brodin, Head of Commodities at SEB, states that the carbon removal market is still immature, but that it has many similarities with established commodity markets. He expects bio-CCS certificates to gradually develop into liquid financial instruments.

– Hafslund Celsio is a flagship project in negative emissions, and we look forward to participating in this partnership and showcasing the Oslo CCS project to customers across Europe.