Ringvei Vest Subsea Development Achieves Concept Agreement
Equinor and its partners have reached agreement on the development concept for Ringvei Vest, a significant subsea development project that will be connected to the Troll B platform in the Norwegian North Sea. The decision represents a major step forward in advancing the project and defines a common development solution covering seven discoveries and one prospect. With the concept now selected, the groundwork has been established for a potential joint field development. According to Equinor, Ringvei Vest is expected to contribute substantial resources to future production.
Project Scope and Resource Assessment
The discoveries included within Ringvei Vest are Grosbeak, Swisher, Mulder, Kveikje, Toppand, Røver Sør, and Røver Nord, while the prospect Grønngylt is also part of the planned development. These resources are distributed across eight licences involving a total of seven owners. Acting as operator across all licences, Equinor has taken responsibility as the area architect and worked with partners to assess multiple development alternatives. This process involved evaluating which discoveries should be incorporated into the project as well as determining the most suitable host platform. As a result of that work, Ringvei Vest has emerged as one of the largest projects currently in the early development phase on the Norwegian Continental Shelf.
“We estimate that Ringvei Vest will contribute 240 million barrels of oil equivalent. A solid effort has been put in over a long period, and I am confident that together with partners and authorities, we have arrived at the best development solution, which also ensures optimal resource utilisation,” said Kjetil Hove, executive vice president for exploration and production Norway in Equinor.
Strategic Context and Continental Shelf Development
Highlighting the broader industry context, Hove stated, “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 barrels per day in 2035.”
Operational Infrastructure and Execution Strategy
The planned Ringvei Vest development spans a wide geographical area. Current plans call for the drilling of 13 wells through six subsea templates. Production streams from the wells will undergo separation on the seabed before being transported to the Troll B platform. In addition to serving as the receiving facility, Troll B will provide power to the subsea installations associated with Ringvei Vest. Operational control of the wells is also planned to be handled from Troll B. Once processed, oil from the project will be transported to Mongstad, while gas will be sent to Kollsnes.
Further enhancements linked to Ringvei Vest include the installation of a new compressor on Troll B to expand the platform’s processing capacity. The platform already receives partial power from shore, a feature that supports lower-emission production. This arrangement will allow oil and gas from Ringvei Vest to be produced with reduced emissions while making use of existing infrastructure in the Norwegian North Sea. The agreed concept therefore establishes a framework for resource development, infrastructure utilization and future production growth tied to the Troll B platform.
