Equinor to increase gas exports to supply Europe

Equinor and its partners have received permission to increase gas exports from two fields on the the Norwegian continental shelf to supply the tight European market.

Production permits for the Oseberg and Troll fields have each been increased by 1 billion m3 for the gas year starting 1 October. In June, Equinor took steps to evaluate and develop concepts for enhancing the production and exports to the European market. This work resulted in enhanced production permits from the Ministry of Petroleum and Energy for the Oseberg and Troll fields.

Specifically, Equinor and its partners have received production permits for the gas year 2021 (starting 1 October) which for each is 1 billion m3 higher than for the current year, i.e. an increase from 5 billion m3 to 6 billion m3 for Oseberg and from 36 billion m3 to 37 billion m3 for Troll.

“The production permits allow us to produce more gas from these two important fields this fall and through the winter. We believe that this is very timely as Europe is facing an unusually tight market for natural gas. At Equinor we are working on measures to increase exports from our fields on the NCS,” says Helge Haugane, senior vice president Gas & Power.

After 25 years of significant gas exports from Troll, around 50% of the gas is left in the ground. To further develop the Troll area Equinor has recently completed the Troll Phase 3 project.

Recoverable volumes from Troll phase 3 are estimated at as much as 347 billion standard m3 of gas. Total recoverable gas volume remaining in Troll is estimated to be 715 billion standard m3.

“Now we are ramping up production at Troll following the completion of the Phase 3 project, and we expect to reach plateau production from 1 October. We take pride in being a long-term, reliable supplier of energy and we are happy that we have been able to identify ways to export as much as practically possible into this tight market,” says Helge Haugane.

Troll phase 3 will extend the life of Troll A and the Kollsnes processing plant beyond 2050, and the plateau production period by 5-7 years.

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