<article><p class="lead">Norway's petroleum and energy ministry has received applications from six firms in its latest invitation for CO2 injection and storage on the Norwegian continental shelf (NCS) in the North Sea.</p><p>Norway's state-controlled Equinor, oil and gas group Sval Energi, blue hydrogen and ammonia company Horisont Energi, UK-based private equity-backed producer Neptune Energy, decarbonisation firm Storegga, and German upstream firm Wintershall Dea all submitted applications for CO2 storage land allocations in a specific area of the NCS.</p><p>The <a href="https://direct.argusmedia.com/newsandanalysis/article/2408300">deadline for applications was 22 February</a> and all those submitted will now be processed by the ministry, which aims to allocate the land in the first half of this year.</p><p>The CO2 storage round was the second to take place in recent months, following the ministry's <a href="https://direct.argusmedia.com/newsandanalysis/article/2386863">previous invitation for applications</a> in November. Horisont Energi, Neptune Energy and Wintershall Dea also submitted applications in November, along with Norway-focused independent Aker BP, offshore services firm Altera Infrastructure and Austrian refiner OMV.</p><p>Norway is a frontrunner in <a href="https://direct.argusmedia.com/newsandanalysis/article/2365804">carbon capture and storage development</a>. Its industrial-scale <a href="https://direct.argusmedia.com/newsandanalysis/article/2143164">Longship project is scheduled to start up in 2024</a>.</p><p class="bylines">By Victoria Hatherick</p></article>
