30-year-old North Sea project gets gas boost with early start to its next chapter

The Troll Phase 3 stage 2 subsea project commenced production on August 22, 2026, reaching operational status earlier than the year-end target. According to Offshore Energy, the expansion aims to speed up the extraction of 55 billion cubic meters of gas from the Troll West reservoir. This development utilizes the existing Troll A platform and the Kollsnes processing plant, the latter of which is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year.

Project execution costs totaled approximately $1.32 billion, finishing several hundred million Norwegian kroner under the original budget. Operators attributed the early start and savings to efficient marine logistics and a drilling campaign that concluded 25 percent faster than anticipated. The infrastructure relies on standardized subsea designs and shore-based electricity to maintain high export volumes while minimizing the carbon footprint of production.

Equinor serves as the operator for the Troll partnership alongside Petoro, A/S Norske Shell, TotalEnergies, and ConocoPhillips. Lill Harriet Brusdal, a vice president for the project, stated that "Troll is the backbone of Norwegian gas exports to Europe." The field currently holds nearly 40 percent of the gas reserves on the Norwegian Continental Shelf and satisfies roughly 10 percent of European gas demand.