BAKU, Azerbaijan, October 15. Equinor and its
partners will complete the Troll West Electrification (TWEL)
project in the North Sea without installing the second electric
export compressor on the Troll C platform, revising the original
plan approved in 2021, the company said.


The decision follows a reassessment of the project’s impact on
emissions, gas deliveries and value creation. The partnership has
informed Norway’s Ministry of Energy that the project will be
completed after the first electric export compressor on Troll C is
commissioned.


Partial electrification of the Troll B and Troll C platforms in
2024 has already reduced emissions from the Troll area by around
330,000 tonnes of CO₂ annually. This represents approximately 75%
of the 440,000 tonnes of annual emission reductions originally
envisaged under the project, making TWEL one of the largest
emissions-reduction initiatives on the Norwegian continental
shelf.


“TWEL has delivered significant emission reductions from the
Troll area. At the same time, we have undertaken a new overall
assessment of the remaining part of the project. We believe this is
the best solution when balancing emission reductions, energy
deliveries and value creation,” said Trond Bokn, Equinor’s senior
vice president for project development.


The partnership’s decision reflects changes in operating
conditions since the project was approved in 2021. At the time, a
temporary reduction in Troll C’s capacity could have been offset by
higher production from Troll A. However, the Troll field has been
operating at maximum capacity throughout the year since 2023,
increasing the importance of maintaining available compressor
capacity on Troll C.


Installing the second electric export compressor would require
extensive modifications, reducing production from Troll C for up to
21 months. The compressor would also be needed only until gas
demand is expected to cease in the mid-2030s, whereas Troll C is
expected to remain operational until around 2050. Following an
assessment of the trade-offs, the partnership concluded that
completing the project without the additional compressor would be
the most appropriate option.


The decision is expected to help maintain high and stable gas
deliveries to Europe, with approximately 2.3 billion standard cubic
metres of additional gas becoming available to the European market
in 2027 and 2028. This volume is equivalent to around two years of
gas consumption for one million European households.


“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,” said Frode Skarstein, Equinor’s senior vice
president for exploration and production west.







Troll’s role in Norwegian energy production


Located in the northern North Sea, approximately 65 kilometres
west of Kollsnes near Bergen, Troll is Norway’s largest gas field
and one of the largest oil fields on the Norwegian continental
shelf (NCS). Its reservoirs contain about 40% of the NCS’s total
gas reserves, making the field a cornerstone of Norway’s gas
production and exports to Europe.


The field comprises the Troll East and Troll West structures and
is developed through the Troll A, Troll B and Troll C platforms.
Troll is also a major oil-producing asset: oil output exceeded
400,000 barrels per day in 2002.


Troll A became the first platform on the Norwegian continental
shelf to receive electricity from shore when it began operating on
power supplied from land in 1996. Troll B and Troll C were
partially electrified in 2024. The electrification measures have
brought emissions from the Troll area down to approximately the
same level as in 1999.


Following completion of TWEL, Troll B will operate with one
electrified and two gas-driven export compressors, while Troll C
will have two electric and one gas-driven export compressor. The
lower power demand on Troll C will also free up approximately 26
megawatts of reserved capacity at Kollsnes for other uses.


Equinor operates the Troll A, B and C platforms and the
associated landfall pipelines. Gassco operates the gas processing
plant at Kollsnes on behalf of Gassled, with Equinor serving as the
technical service provider for its operations.


The Troll licence partnership comprises Petoro AS, with a
55.92838% stake; Equinor Energy AS, the operator, with 30.55480%;
A/S Norske Shell, with 8.18531%; TotalEnergies EP Norge AS, with
3.69096%; and ConocoPhillips Skandinavia AS, with 1.64055%.