Equinor and partners to invest over $1.2bn in Fram Sør project in Norway
The Fram Sør project unites multiple discoveries to extract oil and gas via Troll C, with 116 million barrels anticipated.
Swagath Bandhakavi 27th Jun 2025
llustration of Equinor’s Fram Sør project. (Credit: Equinor ASA)
Equinor and its partners in the Fram project have announced an investment exceeding NOK21bn ($1.2bn) for the Fram Sør project, a new subsea development aimed at enhancing oil and gas exports to Europe from the Fram and Troll area.
The development plan for this new North Sea project was officially submitted to the Norwegian Minister of Energy, Terje Aasland.
Equinor Energy holds a 45% stake in the partnership, followed by Vår Energi with 40%, and INPEX Idemitsu Norge at 15%.
The Fram Sør project combines multiple discoveries for the extraction of oil and gas via Troll C, with expected recoverable volumes totalling 116 million barrels of oil equivalent—comprising 75% oil and 25% gas. The commencement of production is anticipated by the end of 2029.
A notable feature of this development is its low CO2 intensity, projected at approximately 0.5 kg of CO2 per barrel of oil equivalent. This contrasts with an average of 8 kg on the Norwegian Continental Shelf (NCS) and an industry average of about 16 kg, according to the International Association of Oil & Gas Producers’ 2023 data.
The Fram Sør area has seen significant activity since Equinor and partners discovered oil and gas there in autumn 2019. The Echino South discovery led to further exploration, resulting in nine findings over four years in the Troll-Fram vicinity.
In spring 2021, the Blasto discovery, along with two smaller previous finds, laid the foundation for the Fram Sør initiative.
Equinor exploration and production Norway executive vice president Kjetil Hove said: “We have done a thorough job maturing the new resources discovered in the Fram and Troll area in recent years.
“Fram Sør shows the importance of area solutions and close collaboration between partners and authorities in order to realise the resource values on a mature NCS. We have a large portfolio of projects that will phase in discoveries to our producing fields. Equinor expects to put more than 50 such projects on stream by 2035.”
The Fram Sør project is planned to use all-electric Christmas trees, thereby eliminating hydraulic fluid use from platforms and enhancing subsea equipment monitoring. This innovation potentially minimises environmental impact while offering efficient operation, said Equinor.
According to Equinor, the project is set to benefit the Norwegian supply industry throughout its development and operational phases. A ripple effect study from Kunnskapsparken in Bodø estimates it will create 4,500 full-time equivalent jobs in Norway during development.
Although most suppliers are based in Norway, some construction will occur abroad.
Contracts related to the project are valued at approximately NOK18bn ($1.8bn), pending regulatory approvals.
Fram Sør’s subsea installations will be located about 20km north of Troll C and roughly 120km northwest of Bergen, at a water depth of around 350m. The reservoir itself is situated between depths of 1,800 to 2,800m.
The infrastructure will include four subsea templates linked back to existing Fram structures and the Troll C platform for processing.
Oil from Fram will transit through the Troll Oil Pipeline II to Mongstad, while gas will be exported to Kollsnes via the Troll A platform.
Equinor has concluded the front-end engineering design phase with four primary suppliers: OneSubsea for subsea systems; Subsea7 for marine installation; TechnipFMC for umbilicals; and Aker Solutions for platform modifications.
Further contracts for pipeline supply, fibre optic cable laying, rock installation, and rig capacity are anticipated to be awarded this year.