Equinor and its partners Petoro, Shell, TotalEnergies and ConocoPhillips are investing just over NOK 4 billion in a new subsea development that will increase gas production from the Troll field in the North Sea.
'We have an ambition to start production as early as 2028. By simplifying, increasing standardisation and reusing existing infrastructure and equipment, we are reducing costs and enabling faster production, in line with our new ways of working. The project helps sustain jobs, value creation and secure gas exports to Europe from Troll A and Kollsnes,' says Gunnar Nakken, senior vice president for projects and subsea Norway in Equinor.
The TWIN project is expected to contribute around 11 billion standard cubic metres of gas. It is the third step of Troll phase 3, which produces gas from the Troll West reservoir.
The second step will come on stream during 2026 and will ensure continued high production from Troll A and Kollsnes towards 2030. Both the platform and the onshore plant are powered by electricity from shore, meaning the gas will be produced with very low emissions.
The project consists of two wells in a template and a pipeline connected to existing subsea facilities. The umbilical and MEG line will be extended to the new development.
This is one of many subsea projects planned on the Norwegian continental shelf in the coming years. Both the industry and the authorities are focused on simplifying processes, reducing costs and bringing new volumes on stream more quickly.
'Our fields are ageing, new discoveries are smaller and costs are increasing. If we are to continue delivering, we need to do something radically different. Our ambition is to halve costs and execution time for our subsea projects and develop six to eight such projects per year towards 2035,' says Nakken.
Equinor aims to produce 1.3 million barrels per day from the Norwegian continental shelf in 2035.
Facts - TWIN project
- Partnership: Equinor Energy AS 30,55 % (operator), Petoro AS 55,93 %, A/S Norske Shell 8,19 %, TotalEnergies EP Norge AS 3,69 %, ConocoPhillips Skandinavia AS 1,64 %
- TWIN is short for Troll West Increased gas recovery North
- In accordance with the Petroleum Act, the partnership will now send an announcement to the Ministry of Energy concerning the development. An environmental impact assessment has been carried out
Facts about Troll
- The Troll field contains about 40 per cent of the total gas reserves on the Norwegian continental shelf and constitutes the cornerstone of Norwegian gas production
- The gas from Troll alone meets around 10% of Europe's gas needs
- Annual energy production from the Troll field is equivalent to about three times annual Norwegian hydropower production
Source: Equinor
