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    Norway’s Equinor sees record Troll production in 2024

Summary

Further expansion plans are underway to boost production by 2026. [Image: Equinor]

by: Dale Lunan

Posted in:

Europe, Security of Supply, Corporate, Exploration & Production, News By Country, EU, Norway

Norway’s Equinor sees record Troll production in 2024

Norwegian major Equinor said January 6 its Troll field, the largest on the Norwegian Continental Shelf (NCS), produced a record 42.5bn m3 of natural gas in 2024, nearly 10% higher than the previous record of 38.8bn m3 established in 2022.

“With record-high production in 2024, the Troll field confirms its position as a pillar of Europe’s energy security,” said Kjetil Hove, Equinor’s executive vice president for Exploration & Production Norway. “The field contributes to a stable gas supply for millions of households and is important for European industry.”

Gas from Troll, which has been producing since 1996, meets about 11% of Europe’s total gas demand. Equinor attributed the record production in 2024 to steady production – no turnarounds were needed – and upgrades that have increased efficiency.

The initial Troll A platform has been the main contributor to NCS gas production, which was expanded in 2021 to include the gas cap in the western part of the reservoir. The Troll B and Troll C platforms also contribute significant volumes of gas that are transported via Troll A to Kollsnes.

Troll A has been electrified since its startup, and in 2024, Troll B and Troll C were each partially electrified, leading to an estimated 90,000 tonne reduction in COemissions last year, or about 15%.

The Gassco-operated gas plant at Kollsnes, which processes Troll gas, has also undergone significant upgrades in recent years, increasing capacity to 156mn m3/day from 144.5mn m3/day.

“The efforts to recover more Troll gas and increased export capacity clearly help ensure that our customers in Europe get the energy security and long-term perspective they need,” said Helge Haugane, Equinor's senior vice president for gas and power trading.

In May 2024, Equinor (30.58%) and its Troll partners – Norway’s state-owned Petoro (56%), Norske Shell (8.1%), TotalEnergies (3.69%) and ConocoPhillips (1.62%) – said they would invest $1.13bn to boost Troll production even higher, to an estimated 55bn m3, with the first new volumes expected to come online in 2026.