Equinor and Partners Secure Major Investment for Sustaining Gas Production at Troll

Equinor and its Troll partners have committed to investing over NOK 12 billion to enhance the gas infrastructure in the Troll West gas province.

This investment will boost reservoir production, thereby sustaining the high gas export levels from the Troll and Kollsnes value chain up to 2030.

Stage 2 of the Troll Phase 3 project entails drilling eight new wells from two new templates with subsea controls extended from existing ones. Additionally, a new gas flowline will be laid to connect with the Troll A platform, accompanied by modification work on Troll A. The first wells are expected to begin production by the end of 2026.

"This project is exceptionally profitable and will ensure sustained high gas production from the Troll field. The partnership's decision is crucial for maximizing the capacity of our existing infrastructure. We have opted to collaborate with reliable and familiar suppliers, most of whom already have framework agreements with us," says Geir Tungesvik, Equinor's executive vice president of Projects, Drilling & Procurement.

"It's a significant advantage that several of them have prior experience from the earlier stage of the Troll Phase 3 development. We will leverage this experience to ensure safe and efficient project delivery and implementation," says Tungesvik.

The new infrastructure will boost reservoir production by approximately 55 billion standard cubic meters of gas. At its peak, this development will contribute around 7 billion standard cubic meters of gas annually.

" Since 2022, we've been collaborating with our partners, Gassco, and the Norwegian authorities to optimize energy deliveries from the Norwegian continental shelf (NCS). This initiative aims to enable Troll and Kollsnes to sustain their significant contributions to the NCS's role in ensuring European energy security during demanding periods. According to Kjetil Hove, Executive Vice President for Exploration and Production Norway, the gas from Troll alone meets approximately 10% of Europe's demands.

The initial phase of gas extraction from the Troll West gas field commenced in 2021, incorporating eight wells along with a freshly constructed pipeline leading to the Troll A platform, alongside a new inlet module. This segment of the endeavor contributed to prolonging plateau production by 5-7 years. The upcoming Stage 2 is poised to expand plateau production by approximately four years, thereby mitigating production decline over the subsequent 10-12 years.

The enhancements made at the Kollsnes processing facility have led to a rise in the plateau production of Troll gas. Previously capped at 121 million standard cubic meters of gas per day, the maximum output has now been elevated to 129 million. With the introduction of new Troll wells, an additional 20 million standard cubic meters of gas per day will be added to the production tally.