When Russia invaded Ukraine, the energy landscape was transformed overnight. The Kollsnes processing plant in Øygarden suddenly took on an even more important role in securing energy for millions of Europeans. And in the midst of all this, came even greater responsibility for Torgeir Sandøy Johannesen and his colleagues.
We met Torgeir one evening, on the way up ‘Blomøyknuten’, one of the highest points in the flat coastal landscape of his native municipality, Øygarden. From the top, he can gaze out over his childhood home, his primary school and what is now his home, before his gaze gradually comes to rest on the Kollsnes gas plant.
“And there’s my job”, he points.
The peaceful countryside surrounding him stands in stark contrast to the high-tech plant that supplies millions of Europeans with energy on a daily basis. Kollsnes processing plant is one of three facilities in Øygarden that has turned the island municipality into an important hub for the energy sector – both for Norway and Europe.
From the top of Blomøyknuten Torgeir can look out over the island municipality of Øygarden, where he’s spent most of his life.
Torgeir is Leader for operational support at the Kollsnes processing plant. He’s worked his way up through the ranks, starting off as an apprentice in automation more than 20 years ago.
“My job is to make sure that the gas that enters the plant is scrubbed, refined and routed onward in the safest and most efficient way possible,” Torgeir explains.
Torgeir, and all his colleagues who are responsible for ensuring the free and safe flow of gas from the Norwegian continental shelf to Europe, experienced a definite shift in the character of their work when Europe’s energy situation was suddenly upended.
Eighty years ago, peat was the only form of energy found here in Øygarden. Today, this place supplies more than 18 million European households with energy, every single day.
From local to vital
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022 marked the beginning of a new era for Europe’s energy situation. When the war broke out, Russia cut deliveries of gas to Europe, practically overnight, as a means of political coercion and a response to Western sanctions. Before the war, around 40% of all European gas imports came from Russia. All of a sudden, Norway, and plants like Kollsnes, had to fill the gap.
“The spotlight on Norwegian gas shifted radically, overnight. We’d always been an important supplier of gas to Europe, but when the Russian gas disappeared, our role immediately became even more crucial. The energy we supply took on an entirely different dimension of importance,” says Torgeir.
Every day, around 156 million cubic metres of gas flows from the pipelines at Kollsnes, destined for Europe. Today, that makes up around 45 per cent of Norway’s gas exports to Europe, and which overall accounts for approx. nine per cent of total European energy consumption. This significance is foremost in the minds of employees here, as they carry out their daily work.
“Both my colleagues and myself are very aware of this huge responsibility, but we’re also very proud to contribute,” he says.
In practice, this new situation means that Torgeir and his team must, to an even greater extent, stay on their toes. As the link between Equinor and pipeline operator Gassco, he coordinates every maintenance shutdown and makes sure that production remains as stable as possible. The information he sends out about plans and potential operational interruptions doesn’t just circulate within Equinor, it also lands on the desks of regulatory authorities and customers all over Europe. Deliveries from Kollsnes have to be predictable – even in the midst of an uneasy geopolitical situation.
This geopolitical angst has also led to increased focus on security. Sabotage against infrastructure in other locations has meant that Torgeir must now consider factors that he previously took for granted.
“We know we’re a target,” he says.
“Yet, at the same time, we feel secure. Security at the plant is extremely high, and we cultivate close cooperation with the Norwegian authorities to protect both the plant here and the surrounding infrastructure,” Torgeir tells us.
He also underlines the importance of Europe working together on good, shared solutions aimed at protecting critical infrastructure.
Looking forward
Although Kollsnes is now delivering more gas than ever before, Torgeir makes it clear that oil and gas is not a long-term solution.
“But it would be worse for both people and the climate if we turned off the spigot today,” he says.
He knows that the production activity emits CO₂, but they’re doing everything in their power to reduce emissions. Today, the Kollsnes processing plant is nearly 100% electrified, and it is considered to be one of the most modern and energy-efficient gas processing plants in the world.
“When the plant is operating at full capacity, that’s also when it runs the cleanest,” Torgeir explains, pointing out that stable operations yield lower emissions per unit of energy.
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Torgeir also advocates that revenues from the current gas success story must be used wisely.
“We can use the profit from oil and gas to invest in technology that will drive us on into the future,” he says.
Breakthroughs are consistently being made in how technologies like artificial intelligence and drones can contribute to the energy transition. We find another example just a stone’s throw from Kollsnes: carbon capture and storage. In September 2024, Equinor, along with Shell and TotalEnergies, opened the Northern Lights facility in Øygarden. The facility will store CO₂ from Norwegian and European industry deep under the seabed, and the first phase is nearly ready for launch. An additional NOK 7.5 billion was invested in March 2025 to boost injection capacity from 1.5 to 5 million tonnes of CO2 annually.
Torgeir believes that Equinor and Norway must act boldly to commit to new technologies and energy sources going forward. The company has both the expertise and the capital to explore new concepts. The energy transition is about balancing consideration for the climate with the need for secure access to energy and financial value creation – often referred to as the energy trilemma. Torgeir is convinced that Equinor can deliver on all three: secure the energy the world needs right now, cut emissions and at the same time, build profitability in the solutions of the future.
The future is at stake
From Blomøyknuten, Torgeir looks down towards his home where, every evening, he returns to his family after finishing his shift at Kollsnes. He and his wife have three daughters who are part of a new generation growing up in the intersection of ocean, nature and industrial plants.
It’s important for me that my girls, who will someday have children and grandchildren, also have a future to grow up in, and that we don’t ruin the climate and the environment for them,” he says.
This personal drive also makes it easier to deal with the more difficult aspects of the job. “I’d rather be on the inside making a difference, than standing on the outside, shouting,” says Torgeir.
He envisages a future where Equinor has developed into a broad-based energy company that delivers vast volumes of clean energy.
“If I pop into a time machine and emerge in 2050, I hope to see that Equinor is still a world leader, and that we’ve made sure that the world has enough energy – and not least, enough clean energy,” he says with optimism.
The future is marching towards us, whether we like it or not. Torgeir wants to make good use of this time. The job he and his colleagues are doing today can lay the foundation for ensuring that the future world will have sufficient, secure and clean energy.
Kollsnes processing plant
Kollsnes processing plant is located in Øygarden municipality in Vestland county, northwest of Bergen.
The plant opened in 1996, as part of the development of the Troll field.
The gas that flows into the Kollsnes plant originates from the Troll, Kvitebjørn, Visund and Fram fields in the North Sea.
The processing plant which covers around 200 hectares is owned by Petoro, operated by Gassco, while Equinor handles technical operation.
The plant employs around 350 full-time equivalents, including permanent employees and contracted external service providers.
Kollsnes has a daily processing capacity of up to 156 million standard cubic metres of natural gas, in addition to 9000 cubic metres of condensate.
Approx. 45% of all Norwegian gas exports to Europe run from the Kollsnes plant through the subsea pipelines Statpipe, Zeepipe, Europipe I and Franpipe.
Ready for the next phase
Thomas has followed our new production ship for Johan Castberg from the construction phase of the turret all the way from the drawing board to actual operations.
He has spent the last six years working on Johan Castberg, a long period with a steep learning curve.
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