The TWIN project is expected to contribute nearly 11bscm of gas over its operational life.
Equinor and its partners have agreed to invest just over Nkr4bn ($412m) in a new subsea development, known as the Troll West Increased gas recovery North (TWIN) project, to increase gas production from the Troll field in the Norwegian North Sea.
TWIN represents the third step of the ongoing Troll phase three development.
The project is expected to contribute approximately 11 billion standard cubic metres (bscm) of gas over its operational life.
Equinor’s partners in the project are Petoro, Shell, TotalEnergies and ConocoPhillips.
The TWIN project will involve two new wells drilled from a subsea template and linked to existing subsea infrastructure via a new pipeline.
The development will also extend the current umbilical and monoethylene glycol line to support the new facilities. This approach seeks to build on existing infrastructure to optimise output and improve field recovery.
Equinor projects and subsea Norway senior vice-president Gunnar Nakken said: “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.”
The TWIN project is part of a broader strategy to maximise output from the western part of the Troll reservoir. It follows the upcoming second step of Troll phase three, which is due to begin production in 2026.
The phased development is designed to maintain high rates of production from the Troll A platform and the Kollsnes processing plant through to 2030. Both the offshore platform and onshore plant are supplied with electricity from shore, which Equinor says results in gas production with very low emissions.
The Troll field, which sits on the Norwegian Continental Shelf (NCS), is a significant source of gas for Europe, containing around 40% of Norway’s total gas reserves. Gas exported from Troll currently supplies roughly 10% of the continent’s requirements.
According to Equinor, energy production from the field is equivalent to roughly three-times the yearly Norwegian hydropower generation.
Equinor Energy holds a 30.55% stake in the TWIN project and serves as operator. Petoro owns 55.93%, Norske Shell holds 8.19%, TotalEnergies EP Norge has 3.69% and ConocoPhillips Skandinavia 1.64%.
In accordance with the Norwegian Petroleum Act, the partners plan to submit a formal notice of the development to the Ministry of Energy. An environmental impact assessment has already been carried out.
The TWIN project forms part of a series of new subsea initiatives planned across the NCS. Equinor said that both industry and government aim to streamline development processes, reduce costs and bring additional production online more rapidly.
The company has publicly set a target of 1.3 million barrels of oil equivalent per day from the NCS by 2035.
Nakken said: “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.”
Last week, Equinor and its partners agreed on the development concept for Ringvei Vest, a large subsea project connected to the Troll B platform, covering seven discoveries and one prospect. This initiative is expected to include drilling 13 wells through six templates, establishing a potential combined field development solution.
Earlier in the month, the partnership announced maturing plans for phase four at the Johan Sverdrup field. This expansion project is underpinned by new discoveries in the Tonjer and Geitungen wells and is expected to help maintain production and value creation from Norway’s largest oil-producing area.
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