Equinor Scales Down Troll Electrification Program

SUBSCRIBE SEARCH ARTICLES NEWS Equinor has scaled back the electrification program for Norway's biggest gas field, saying proceeding with the original plan would result in an untimely loss of production. Image by JenDeVos via iStock

Equinor ASA has scaled back the electrification program for Norway's biggest gas field, saying proceeding with the original plan would result in an untimely loss of production.

"The Troll license partnership has informed the Norwegian Ministry of Energy that the Troll West Electrification (TWEL) project will be completed after commissioning the first electric export compressor on Troll C, and without installing the second electric export compressor on Troll C, as originally planned in the 2021 plan for development and operation (PDO)", the majority state-owned company said in an online statement.

Trond Bokn, Equinor senior vice president for project development, said, "We believe this is the best solution when balancing emission reductions, energy deliveries and value creation".

The plan approved 2021 assumed that a temporary loss of capacity on the Troll C platform could be offset by increased production on Troll A. However, the Troll field has been producing at full capacity since 2023.

"As a result, the importance and value of available compressor capacity on Troll C have increased significantly compared with the assumptions underlying the original project decision", Equinor said.

"Installing the second electric export compressor would have required an extensive modification period, resulting in reduced production from Troll C for up to 21 months", it said. "At the same time, the compressor would only have been needed until demand is expected to cease in the mid-2030s, while Troll C is expected to remain in operation until around 2050".

"The decision also helps maintain high and stable gas supplies to Europe at a time when energy security remains important", Equinor added. "It is expected to make around 2.3 billion standard cubic meters [about 81.2 billion cubic feet] of additional gas available to the European market in 2027 and 2028. This corresponds to approximately two years of gas consumption for around one million European households".

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Frode Skarstein, Equinor senior vice president for Exploration and Production West, said, "Troll will remain a cornerstone of Europe's energy supply for many years to come. High regularity and stable production are important for energy security, value creation and the continued development of the Troll area. The TWEL decision must be seen in that broader context".

Troll, in the North Sea, has three platforms. Troll A became the first oil and gas platform in Norwegian waters to receive power from shore in 1996, according to Equinor. B and C were partially electrified 2024.

When TWEL is completed, Troll B will operate with one electric and two gas-run export compressors, while Troll C will operate with two electric and one gas-fueled export compressor.

"TWEL has reduced emissions from the Troll area by around 330,000 tonnes of CO₂ per year, corresponding to approximately 75 percent of the emission reductions originally planned in the PDO (440,000 tonnes per year)", Equinor said. "This makes the project one of the largest emissions reduction measures on the Norwegian continental shelf. Overall, the measures have reduced emissions from the Troll area to approximately the same level as in 1999".

Recently Equinor and its partners brought into production another Troll tieback. Troll phase 3 stage 2 "accelerates production of 55 billion standard cubic meters of gas from the Troll West reservoir", Equinor said August 25. "This corresponds to nearly two years of France's gas demand".

Phase 3 began production 2021. Stage 2 developed eight additional wells, while earlier in 2026 the Troll consortium approved the next phase through the TWIN project.

Equinor operates Troll with a 30.55 percent stake. Its partners are Petoro AS (55.93 percent), also government-owned; Britain's Shell PLC (8.19 percent); France's TotalEnergies SE (3.69 percent); and the United States' ConocoPhillips (1.64 percent).

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