Equinor has commenced natural gas production from the third phase of the Troll field in the Norwegian North Sea.
The Troll phase 3 project involved the development of eight wells, a new pipeline and umbilical connecting the templates to the Troll A platform, in addition to a new gas processing module on the platform.
Go deeper with GlobalData
Estimated to cost $920.8m (Nkr8bn), the phase 3 project is expected to extend the production lifetime of Troll A platform beyond 2050.
Equinor Norway exploration and production executive vice-president said: “Troll phase 3 will extend the life of Troll A and the Kollsnes processing plant beyond 2050, and the plateau period by 5-7 years.
“This will help secure jobs offshore, at Sandsli and at Kollsnes for both Equinor and its suppliers for several decades into the future.”
Equinor anticipates the Troll phase 3 project to have a break-even price of below $10 and CO₂ emissions of less than 0.1kg per barrel oil equivalent.
According to the estimates, the Troll phase 3 has recoverable volumes of 347 billion cubic metres of gas.
Equinor projects, drilling and procurement executive vice-president Arne Sigve Nylund said: “Troll phase 3 is one of the most profitable projects throughout Equinor’s entire history, while at the same time featuring production with record-low CO₂ emissions.
“This is thanks to large gas reserves and a development solution mostly based on existing infrastructure, such as pipelines, the processing plant at Kollsnes and, not least, the Troll A platform which receives power from shore.”
The latest development’s annual revenue for the Norwegian government is expected to average more than $1.9bn (Nkr17bn), Equinor said.
Troll delivers around 8% of the European Union’s gas consumption. Equinor operates the field with a 30.58% stake.
Other partners include state energy firm Petoro (56%), Royal Dutch Shell (8.10%), TotalEnergies (3.69%) and ConocoPhillips (1.62%).
Said to be Norway’s largest gas producer, the Troll field development aims to recover nearly 65% of the remaining gas reserves, even after production of more than 20 years.
