Tale under Langskip-markeringen i Brevik

Sjekkes mot fremføring. 

Good afternoon,

Your Royal Highness, dear all Norwegian and foreign guests,

Now, let me start with the Vikings – and their long ships. These rather rough Norsemen ruled the waves mainly due to their vessels, the Longship: These ships moved swiftly through the waters, in any weather conditions, they could do beach landings and sail narrow rivers, and both ends of the ship were similar so the sailors could easily turn around.

Now, what are the key words capturing all this?

• Cutting-edge technology.
• Adapting to nature and environment.
• Applying traditional knowledge to new challenges.
• Finding surprising solutions.
• And – not least – staying at the forefront, leading the way.

So – back to us. Here we are today, at the forefront, leading the way, celebrating innovation, ingenuity, and endurance: This is the Longship project:

• Norway’s largest climate initiative goes into operation,
• A key technology for achieving zero emission by 2050,
• The world’s first carbon capture plant in the cement industry – Heidelberg Materials,
• Europe’s first full, end-to-end value chain for carbon management.

In sum, Longship encompasses industrial CO₂ capture sites, transport by ship, and safe storage – carried out by the -world’s first commercially operated facility, Northern Lights, in reservoirs located 2,600 metres beneath the seabed in the North Sea.

Now, what makes this project truly ground-breaking? Let me share with you a few reflections.

Firstly,

Carbon capture and storage – CCS – will be key in the fight against climate change.

For years, I’ve told my European colleagues. In the beginning, there was great scepticism. But we kept explaining the full value chain, the advantages, and our real-world experience – at Sleipner since 1996 and at Snøhvit since 2008.

Scientists have long said we must capture and store CO₂ to meet climate goals. And recently, the political climate in Europe has shifted.

Perhaps it helped that European leaders came to see our progress firsthand – in Brevik and Øygarden. Seeing is believing. It can be done.

There’s also a growing urgency. CCS deployment is finally accelerating.

Through the Longship project, we will capture large volumes of CO₂. The Norwegian continental shelf has storage capacity for much of Europe’s emissions for decades to come.

Norway is now at the forefront. Today marks a defining moment: Longship is operational. This is real.

Secondly,

The story behind Brevik is remarkable.

It began around twenty years ago – as a “what if” idea at a lunch table at Heidelberg Materials. That idea grew into a desktop study, and in 2011, Heidelberg received support from the European Cement Research Academy.

By 2016, it was part of the Norwegian CCS Demonstration Project, with more studies supported by Gassnova.

In 2020, the government approved full-scale construction at the existing cement plant.

Meanwhile, Northern Lights in Øygarden was developed – a project that has impressed visitors from across Europe, including the British Prime Minister.

The CO₂ transport ship Northern Pioneer is ready to move captured CO₂ from Brevik to Øygarden.

In early May, the first 1,000 tons of CO₂ were captured, liquefied, and stored. A milestone – turning science fiction into fact.

Thirdly,

De-carbonizing cement isn’t the goal in itself – the goal is sustainable products.

We are entering an era of net-zero, carbon-captured industrial production. This plant will produce the world’s first net-zero cement, “evoZero”.

This supports customers in reaching their own climate targets and delivering greener construction.

So today, this more-than-100-year-old cement factory stands as a symbol of the future – the world’s first industrial-scale CCS facility in the cement industry.

It shows that with CCS, the industry can continue producing cement.

Fourthly (and finally),

In a time of growing political polarization, Longship stands out. It is the result of long-term commitment across different Norwegian governments.

Over decades, we’ve supported industry partners and taken bold steps together – government, industry, and technology working side-by-side.

Our shared goal: to build a new CCS value chain. Our shared ambition: to make CCS a practical climate solution – here and abroad.

We’ve always intended to share knowledge – just like we’re doing during this conference.

Let me now extend my heartfelt thanks – to all who made Longship possible: public and private actors, national and international partners, owners, workers, and innovators.

To the bright minds and steady hands – thank you.

Norway will now;

• Make an important contribution to a more climate-neutral, more competitive Europe.
• We’ve set the standard for industrial-scale carbon capture in cement by new technology.
• We’re transforming the market, and we have taken another significant step toward the green transition of the world economy.
• And, we show that the important thing is not only to cut emissions; the crucial thing is how we cut emissions.

All this lives up to a Longship’s reputation, since the Viking Age; spectacular, pioneering, exploring, a front runner. – Thank you!

Now, being so passionate about CCS and Langskip, and since I am home in Telemark, let me finish by saying few words in Norwegian.

Det var en gang, for dette er jo et eventyr.

Det var en gang i 2006 da jeg satt på Stortinget, at Per Brevik sa til meg at han ville sette i gang et prosjekt: Å fange CO₂en fra sementproduksjonen her i Brevik.

Innerst inne tenkte jeg, «dette er jo science fiction». Vi skulle jo fange CO₂, men det var på Mongstad – også kjent som «månelandingen».

I dag står vi her for å markere for at Langskip er i gang.

For det er lange linjer som ender opp her i Brevik i dag.

Det er verdt å minne om reisen som har ført oss hit. Norge har nesten 30 års erfaring med trygg lagring av CO₂ på sokkelen. Vi var tidlig ute med karbonprising. Vi tok risiko, satset på teknologi, og investerte i kunnskap.

Prosjekter som Sleipner, Snøhvit og teknologisenteret på Mongstad har gitt oss erfaringene vi bygger videre på. Og med Langskip tar vi karbonfangst og -lagring til et helt nytt nivå: full verdikjede, fra fangst her i Brevik – til transport og lagring med Northern Lights trygt under havbunnen.

Det er et prosjekt som kutter utslipp – men også noe mer: Det viser hvordan politikk, næringsliv og teknologi kan virke sammen for å skape løsninger for fremtiden.

Og det bringer meg til dagens hovedrolleinnehaver: Heidelberg Materials.

Dere har gjort noe helt ekstraordinært. Over 100 år med industrihistorie i Brevik er nå kombinert med banebrytende klimainnovasjon. Sementproduksjonen har pågått hele veien, samtidig som et nytt anlegg har vokst frem – uten å gå på akkord med verken kvalitet, sikkerhet eller ambisjon.

Dette er ikke bare Norges første fangstanlegg i full skala – det er Europas første av sitt slag i sementindustrien. Det er modig. Det er fremtidsrettet. Og det er helt nødvendig.

Vi snakker ofte om grønne skift og teknologiløft. Men det er handlingen som teller. Og her i Brevik har dere levert – ikke bare på utslippskutt, men også på industriutvikling og jobbskaping. Det skal dere ha stor honnør for.

Kjære venner,

Langskip er ikke slutten – det er begynnelsen. Men for å komme hit har det krevd innsats, samarbeid og politisk vilje. Og det har krevd lederskap fra selskaper som tør å gå foran.

Derfor vil jeg i dag rette en stor takk til alle dere i Heidelberg Materials, til Northern Lights, til Gassnova – og til alle ansatte, partnere og fagfolk som har bidratt.

Og ikke minst Per Brevik, som viste at dette er «science» ikke «fiction».

Dette prosjektet vil bli stående som et symbol på hva vi kan få til – når vi løfter i lag, tar risiko, og tør å tro på en fremtid med både industri og klimaansvar.

Tusen takk – og gratulerer med dagen!