Equinor, partners consider Ringvei Vest subsea development

Equinor and its partners have agreed on the concept for Ringvei Vest, a large subsea development project linked to the Troll B platform in the Norwegian North Sea.

Ringvei Vest is one of the largest early-phase projects on the Norwegian Continental Shelf. Discoveries included in the project are Grosbeak, Swisher, Mulder, Kveikje, Toppand, Røver Sør, and Røver Nord. The Grønngylt prospect is also included. The resources are spread across eight licenses with a total of seven owners.

Ringvei Vest covers a large area, and the plan is to drill a total of 13 wells through six templates. The well stream will be separated on the seabed before being transported to Troll B, which also provides power for the subsea infrastructure.

The wells are planned to be controlled from Troll B. From the platform, the oil is transported to Mongstad and the gas to Kollsnes.

Plans also include a new compressor on Troll B to increase processing capacity at the platform. The platform is partially powered from shore, which enables oil and gas in Ringvei Vest to be produced with low emissions.

Equinor is operator of all the licenses and estimates that Ringvei Vest will contribute 240 million boe.  

Kjetil Hove, Equinor's executive vice-president for exploration and production in Norway, said, “The Norwegian Continental Shelf is maturing, new discoveries are smaller and costs are increasing. To maintain a high activity level and reliable energy supplies to Europe, it is important to develop marginal discoveries near existing infrastructure and collaborate across licenses. Equinor aims to increase our equity production from the Norwegian Continental Shelf to 1.3 million [b/d] in 2035.”

The project is expected to reach the decision to continue (DG2) by year-end. Timing for a final investment decision, submission of the plan for development and operation (PDO), and production start-up will be determined in a later phase.