Equinor Energy AS and Fram license partners submitted a plan for development and operation (PDO) for the North Sea Fram Sør project. Production is scheduled to begin by yearend 2029.
“Fram Sør will contribute to security of energy supply from the Norwegian continental shelf (NCS) to Europe,” said Geir Tungesvik, an Equinor executive vice-president, in a release June 26.
The PDO was submitted to the Minister of Energy in Norway, Terje Aasland.
Fram Sør lies in the northern part of the North Sea, about 20 km north of the Troll C platform and about 120 km northwest of Bergen. Water depth in the area is about 350 m, and the reservoir depth is between 1,800–2,800 m.
Fram Sør is a subsea development with 4 x 4 subsea templates. Twelve wells are planned for start-up and four well slots will be available for later development in the Fram/Troll area.
The subsea templates will be tied back to existing Fram infrastructure and to the Troll C platform for processing and export. Oil from Fram field is transported through Troll Oil Pipeline II to Mongstad, and gas is exported to Kollsnes via the Troll A platform.
Fram partners Equinor (operator, 45%), Vår Energi ASA (40%), and INPEX Idemitsu Norge AS (15%) plan to invest more than NOK 21 billion (US $2.2 billion) in the Norwegian Continental Shelf subsea project. Recoverable reserves are estimated at 116 Mboe gross (75% oil, 25% gas).
Fram Sør, combining discoveries
The Fram Sør project (in licenses PL090/090I/090E) is a combined development of several discoveries, including Echino South and Blasto, that will export oil and gas via the Troll C platform.
Building on recent discoveries, Mulder and Rhombi, a series of follow-on exploration targets are set to be drilled in the coming years, unlocking potential further upside, partner Vår Energi said in a separate release.
In 2019, Equinor and partners discovered oil and gas in the Fram area of the North Sea. The discovery, Echino South, supported the belief that more oil could be found, and contributed to nine discoveries made in the Troll-Fram area over a 4-year period, Equinor said (OGJ Online, Nov. 6, 2019).
In the spring of 2021, Equinor and partners made the Blasto discovery (OGJ Online, Mar. 24, 2021). Together with two smaller discoveries in previous years, Echino South and Blasto form the basis for Fram Sør.
Equinor has completed the front-end engineering and design phase (FEED) with four main suppliers, all of whom have the option to perform the work they have studied (OGJ Online, June 27, 2024; Nov. 14, 2024).
- OneSubsea has conducted studies of subsea systems.
- Subsea7 has explored marine installation.
- TechnipFMC has studied umbilicals.
- Aker Solutions has studied platform modification.
During 2025, contracts will also be awarded for pipe deliveries, fiber optic cable, and rock installation. In addition, the project will need rig capacity. All contracts will be subject to regulatory approval.
