The heart of the Norwegian gas machine, Troll A, has turned 10 years, an event to be celebrated with the world's deepest underwater concert. Artist Katie Melua will create musical magic 303 metres below sea level today.
One of Statoil's most important and audacious projects, Troll A has represented a breakthrough both technologically and economically and is one of the world's largest offshore gas fields. It will yield over 1.3 billion cubic metres of gas.
"Troll has been the backbone of Norwegian gas production for 10 years," says Astrid Sørensen, senior vice president for the Troll/Sleipner business cluster. Troll's significance as a guarantor for reliable gas supplies to Europe from the Norwegian continental shelf (NCS) cannot be oversated. The field will play a central role in Europe's energy security for many years to come. We will supply gas from Troll to Europe for at least another 50 years."
The Troll field came on stream on 1 October 1996 as part of the big Troll contracts that also included the Sleipner East field in the North Sea. Almost 100 million cubic metres of gas produced daily are piped from the eastern area of Troll to the gas treatment plant at Kollsnes, near Bergen.
The Troll A platform, operated by Statoil, is the tallest installation ever moved by humans. The enormous dimensions will truly come into their own when Ms Melua holds a haunting concert at the bottom of one of the platform shafts on 2 October.
The Troll field contains 60% of the combined gas reserves on the NCS and is the cornerstone of Norwegian gas production. Energy for several generations will be supplied from the enormous reservoirs 1,400 metres below sea level. The field covers an area of over 750 square kilometres in blocks 31/2, 31/3, 31/5 and 31/6. Statoil took over as operator of Troll Gas on 19 June 1996.
The development of the Troll field has resulted in landing points for Norwegian gas in Germany, Belgium and France.
In the western sector of the Troll field (block 31/2), Hydro is operator for Troll Oil. Production commenced in 1995 with an average daily output of 180,000 barrels per day. However, over 300 billion cubic metres of gas also lie here. The Troll Future development will realise the recovery of this gas.