Page 13 - EurOil Week 17 2021

EurOil PROJECTS & COMPANIES EurOil

Equinor pulls trigger on Troll

electrification

NORWAY NORWEGIAN oil firm Equinor and its part- the end of 2025. Equinor also said on April 23
ners Petoro, Royal Dutch Shell, Total and Cono- it had filed a plan of development for Troll West
Equinor also took coPhillips have taken a decision on the Troll with Norwegian authorities.
an FID on extending West electrification project, in order to reduce Equinor has a 30.6% stake in Troll, while fel-
Snohvit’s production emissions at Norway’s largest gas field. low state producer Petoro owns 56%, Shell holds
plateau. The plan will involve the partial electrifica- 8.1%, France’s Total has 3.7% and ConocoPhil-
tion of the Troll B platform and the full electrifi- lips has 1.6%. The field Troll produced 31.6bn
cation of the Troll C platform, Equinor said. This cubic metres of gas last year, accounting for just
will result in a CO2 emissions saving of nearly less than 30% of national supply
0.5mn tonnes per year, it said, while NOX emis- Equinor has electrified other major projects,
sions will be reduced by 1,700 tpy. including Johan Sverdrup, allowing the large
“Upstream oil and gas operators are under oilfield to boast among the lowest CO2 inten-
ever-growing pressure from governments, sities in north-west Europe. The company also
shareholders and financial institutes to curb has plans to electrify facilities at the Sleipner and
emissions and reduce carbon footprints,” Gina Krog fields.
GlobalData’s senior oil and gas analyst, Daniel
Rogers, commented. “Field electrification is an Snohvit FID
effective way to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) Equinor also revealed on April 23 that it had
emissions from production operations.” taken a final investment decision (FID) on
Equinor has spearheaded efforts to electrify extending the production plateau of the Snohvit
the North Sea’s oil industry, replacing gas and field in the Barents Sea by another two years.
diesel-powered generators with clean power The company and its partners will invest
supplies from the shore. Norway generates most NOK3.2bn in developing the Askeladd Vest
of its power from hydroelectric plants (HPPs). structure at Snohvit, using a subsea template
GlobalData estimates that the company will have that will be tied back to the Askeladd field. Pro-
more than 600,000 barrels of oil equivalent per duction from Askeladd Vest is slated to start in
day (boepd) of its offshore production electrified 2024.
by 2025 if all its projects are realised, or 35% of “By increasing the resource base for Ham-
its total output. merfest LNG, Askeladd Vest will be an impor-
The Troll West project will cost some tant contribution in supporting our ambition of
NOK7.9bn ($950mn), of which NOK520mn long-term presence in the north,” Equinor com-
will be covered with financial support from Nor- mented. “This will allow us to further strengthen
way’s NOX fund. Some 70% of investments will the ripple effects of our activities in this part of
go to companies in Norway, Equinor said. the country, which is important to Equinor and
The plan will involve laying a cable between its partners in the time ahead.”
Troll B and C that will make landfall in Kollsnes, Snohvit serves as the resource base for Ham-
west of Bergen. Infrastructure will be built to merfest LNG, but the latter has been offline since
allow for a possible full electrification of Troll September last year following a fire. Norwegian
B in the future. Troll’s first platform Troll A safety regulators have concluded that the inci-
was brought online in 1996 and was the first on dent occurred because of serious breaches of
the Norwegian Continental Shelf (NCS) to be regulation.
electrified. Norway’s oil ministry estimates that Sno-
Norwegian contractor Aker Solutions won a hvit produced 3.78 bcm of gas in 2020, versus
contract to electrify Troll B and C in February, 6.22 bcm in 2019. Equinor operates the field
covering topside work such as the installation of with a 36.8% interest, while Petoro has 30%,
equipment for receiving power from the shore. Total 18.4%, Neptune 12% and Wintershall Dea
The work will start immediately and run until 2.8%.™

Week 17 29•April•2021 www. NEWSBASE .com P13