Norway's Equinor sees Fram gas output boost as Troll C module comes online

London — Norway's Equinor said Tuesday the commissioning of a new gas module at the Troll C platform in the North Sea would help boost production from its Fram field and also enable future discoveries to be tied back to the platform.

Equinor has been looking for "quick wins" in the mature North Sea by using existing infrastructure to bring new discoveries online and increase production from declining fields.

Equinor -- which operates both Fram and Troll -- decided in 2017 to invest NOK1 billion ($108 million) in the new gas module at Troll C, boosting its gas processing capacity by 3.5 million cu m/d.

"The gas module accelerates gas production and capacity in the Fram license for existing and new wells, adding valuable short-term value," Equinor senior vice president Gunnar Nakken said in a statement.

"At the same time the gas module allows new future discoveries to be tied in," Nakken said.

The new gas module enables accelerated recovery of resources in the Fram area, which was previously limited by the Troll C gas processing capacity.

The investment was essential to further developing Troll C as a hub for the area, the company said.

Equinor made a discovery near Fram last year with the Echino South well, which could be tied back to Troll C. "In addition, several prospects are being considered for drilling," Nakken said.

Equinor is operator and holds a 45% stake in Fram. Its partners are Var Energi (25%), Neptune Energy (15%) and Japan's Idemitsu (15%).

Neptune said the new gas module at Troll C would accelerate gas production in the area.

"The startup of the new gas module for Fram is an important milestone and a further demonstration of our commitment to grow and strengthen our core areas close to existing infrastructure and enhance our footprint in a key geographic area for Neptune," Neptune's managing director in Norway, Odin Estensen, said.

Field life

As part of its plans for Fram, Equinor and its partners also agreed in 2018 to extend the field's production life to at least 2030 by drilling three new wells at the field.

The original plan was to allow for the production of up to 11 Bcm of additional gas.

Last year, Fram produced some 0.7 Bcm of gas, according to data from the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate, or an average of some 2 million cu m/d.

Since much of the oil at Fram has already been recovered, the remaining reserves will have a high proportion of gas, Equinor said.

The Fram field consists of four subsea templates, each comprising four well slots.

The field life was originally estimated to last until 2023, and the license will expire in 2024, but the new wells will extend field production to 2030 or longer, and may be extended further by the development plans for the area.

Last year, Equinor said the Echino South discovery could hold 38-100 million boe, calling it one of 2019's biggest discoveries in the most mature area of the NCS.

It said the find would most likely be tied back to Troll C.