Equinor submits development plans for Troll West electrification
Equinor and partners have submitted a plan for development and operation for Troll West electrification to the minister of petroleum and energy. The decision includes partial electrification of the Troll B platform and full electrification of Troll C in the North Sea.
The plan will cut CO2 emissions by almost 500,000 tonnes/year.
Capital expenditures total about 7.9 billion kroner. The project has been pledged a total of 520 million kroner in financial support from the Norwegian NOx fund.
Development solution
The subsea cable to the Troll B and C platforms will have a landfall at Kollsnes in Øygarden west of Bergen. A high-voltage subsea cable will run from Kollsnes to Troll B, and one from Troll B to Troll C.
Troll West electrification includes full electrification of Troll C, and partial electrification of Troll B. This means that both platforms’ current power demand will be met from shore. In addition, the two gas export compressors on Troll C currently driven by gas turbines will be replaced by electric motors. The infrastructure at Kollsnes and cable out to the platform will be designed for a possible future full electrification also of Troll B.
The Troll A platform, which came on stream in 1996, was the first electrified installation on the Norwegian continental shelf.
Aker Solutions has been awarded an engineering, procurement, construction, and installation (EPCI) contract worth about 2.9 billion kroner for modifications enabling the Troll B and C topsides to receive power from shore.
Skanska has been awarded a contract for the construction of a new transformer substation, cable trenches, and landfall at Kollsnes. The contract is worth around 390 million kroner.
NKT has been awarded a contract for the production and installation of a high-voltage subsea cable from Kollsnes to Troll B and from Troll B to Troll C. The contract is worth about 1 billion kroner.
On Mar. 26, 2021, the Ministry of Petroleum and Energy granted Equinor a concession to construct, own, and operate the necessary electrical installations to supply the Troll B and Troll C platforms with power from shore.
According to plan Troll B will be partially electrified in first-quarter 2024, and Troll C will be fully electrified by second-quarter 2026.
Operator Equinor holds a 30.58% interest. Other interests are Petoro 56%, Norske Shell 8.1%, Total E&P Norge 3.7%, and ConocoPhillips 1.6%.
