Policy Overview
Norway’s legal framework for carbon storage is anchored in Regulation No. 1517, originally established in 2014 and updated in 2020. Built upon the EU CCS Directive and integrated with Norwegian petroleum law, it provides the definitive regulatory structure for offshore storage on the Norwegian Continental Shelf (NCS). The regulation asserts state ownership over all subsea reservoirs and mandates a rigorous permitting system for exploration, development, and operation.
A key pillar of this framework is the Liability Transfer Mechanism, which allows commercial operators to transfer long-term monitoring and remediation responsibilities to the Norwegian state after a defined monitoring period post-closure. This provision effectively caps the tail-risk for developers like Northern Lights. The 2020 updates further refined environmental and safety standards, ensuring Norway remains the global leader in offshore CCS technical regulation.