Is it possible to both believe in the future and believe in Troll(s)?

During the autumn of 1979, the exploration manager of Shell and his team had a breakthrough in the North Sea. Little did they know that Troll would be crucial in securing Europe's energy supply for decades to come.

It seemed almost impossible to produce natural gas and oil from this part of the North Sea. The water depth of more than 300 meters and demanding weather conditions made Troll a difficult field to develop. Shell's technical director Chris E. Fay described the challenge as almost impossible: "We have to get a two-way ticket to the moon," he said. Norwegian authorities believed that Shell was one of the few companies that could actually do it.

The field was named Troll. It was an appropriate name for several reasons. Firstly, the field was huge with large amounts of natural gas and oil, in an area where nature often flexed its muscles. Secondly, many considered Troll to be a completely unrealistic project. They were proven wrong, thanks to technological development.

But what now?

We are now facing the biggest challenge of our time – the climate crisis. Equinor's ambition is to continue supplying society with energy with a lower carbon footprint and reach net-zero emissions by 2050. Together we will create new energy and new industries. The question is, perhaps: Can we still believe in Trolls?

The answer is three times yes: Troll ensures safe and predictable natural gas supplies to Europe with very low production emissions. Supported by a well-developed infrastructure, we can use natural gas to produce hydrogen or ammonia in the future. We can capture CO₂ and store it safely under the seabed.

Troll proves we can do incredible things – as long as we work together. We need that faith going forward. Troll is, therefore, not only a story about the past; it is also a story about the future. And not least, a story of a lasting and healthy European energy cooperation.