Background
The National CCUS Cluster Workshop was held on 19 January 2026 by CCUS Norway, in collaboration with the Oslo Carbon Cluster and with support from CLIMIT. The workshop brought together 67 participants from 53 organisations – regional clusters, industry representatives, technology providers, investors and government institutions – to discuss how carbon capture, utilisation and storage (CCUS) can be scaled in Norway. The event was also intended to lay the groundwork for a national policy report based on a CLIMIT-funded study of CO2 transport and storage.
Goal
The goal of the workshop was to create a shared national arena where stakeholders could discuss the strategic needs for scaling CCUS in Norway. The workshop aimed to clarify what industry can do independently, what would require stronger state involvement, and how Norway can build a coherent
and cost-effective CCUS value chain. A key aim was to consolidate insights from regional and national actors as input to the next phase of Norway’s CCUS strategy.
Activities
The workshop was organised into five sessions combining presentations, study results and group discussions: (1) the current state of CCUS in Norway, with contributions from CCUS Norway, the Oslo Carbon Cluster and the Ministry of Energy; (2) knowledge sharing across Norway’s regional CCUS clusters (Northern Norway, Mid-Norway, Haugalandet, Kristiansand/Returkraft, Prosess21, Østfold/Borg CO2 and the Oslo Carbon Cluster); (3) an investor panel on financing CCS in Norway, with representatives from HitecVision, Obligo Investment Management and Verdane; (4) presentation of outcomes from the CLIMIT-funded study on CO2 transport and storage (CarbonGeo), together with a contribution from Bellona; and (5) a group workshop on practical barriers to CCUS deployment, with presentations from each group.
Results
The workshop met and exceeded the measurable success criteria defined in the project plan: a total of 67 participants from 53 organisations attended (excluding CCUS Norway administrative staff), comprising 38 participants from 31 industry companies, 8 participants from 7 government bodies, and 20 participants from 15 academic, NGO and media organisations. The discussions pointed to five central requirements for scaling CCUS in Norway: 1) securing accessible, long-term storage capacity, including solutions for small and medium emitters; 2) establishing a national CO2 roadmap with volumes, timelines, hubs and injection points; 3) implementing long-term, predictable support frameworks aligned with EU markets; 4) enabling cost-effective transport solutions through shared infrastructure and coordinated investment timing; and 5) leveraging regional clusters as engines for cooperation while ensuring the state coordinates the system as a whole. The workshop confirmed that clusters can coordinate regional actors and share knowledge, but that the structural barriers preventing large-scale implementation require national decisions on storage access, predictable policy frameworks and targeted financial support.
Further Work
The insights from the workshop will feed into the continued development of a national policy report on CO2 transport and storage. An unexpected but valuable outcome of the workshop was the establishment of contact with the British Embassy in Oslo, which will support CCUS Norway/CCUS Innovation in organising a study trip to the UK as part of the 2026 strategy. The workshop also initiated discussions with Norwegian investors and European CCUS clusters, which are now being followed up bilaterally.
Publications
Scientific or popular science publications.
https://ccusnorway.no/news/ccus-cluster-workshop-2026
