Norway’s Hammerfest LNG plant is now expected to restart on May 23, six days later than the previous plan and further delaying operations since a fire in 2020, Norwegian gas system manager Gassco and operator Equinor said on May 16.
“During the weekend, a minor fault was discovered on a compressor that needs to be rectified prior to start-up,” Equinor said in a statement.
“The component is now being replaced, and the stepwise process towards operations continues through the week.”
Europe’s only large-scale LNG plant, at Melkoeya island just outside the Arctic town of Hammerfest, can process 18 million cubic meters of gas per day when fully operational.
The plant has been out of service since September 2020 after a blaze that raised concerns about safety practices.
Restarting operations would be welcome news for Europe, which is scrambling to find alternatives to Russian gas supplies in the wake of the war in Ukraine.
At Melkoeya, gas is piped in from the offshore Snoehvit field, 160 km (100 miles) away in the Barents Sea. The field was forced to shut as a result of the plant’s closure.
In January, Equinor said more than 22,000 components had undergone checks since the fire, and that 180 km (112 miles) of electrical cables had been replaced.
The partnership includes Equinor, Petoro AS, TotalEnergies, Neptune Energy and Wintershall Dea.
Recommended Reading
Pioneer Energy’s Tech Offers More Pad Throughput, Fewer Emissions
2025-01-14 - Pioneer Energy’s Emission Control Treater technology reduces emissions and can boost a well’s crude yield by 5% to10%, executives say.
SLB’s Big Boost from Digital Offsets Flat Trends in Oil, E&P
2025-01-20 - SLB’s digital revenue grew 20% in 2024 as customers continue to adopt the company's digital products, artificial intelligence and cloud computing.
Digital Twins ‘Fad’ Takes on New Life as Tool to Advance Long-Term Goals
2025-02-13 - As top E&P players such as BP, Chevron and Shell adopt the use of digital twins, the technology has gone from what engineers thought of as a ‘fad’ to a useful tool to solve business problems and hit long-term goals.
No Drivers Necessary: Atlas RoboTrucks Haul Proppant, Sans Humans
2025-03-04 - Atlas Energy Solutions and Kodiak Robotics have teamed up to put two autonomous trucks to work in the Permian Basin. Many more are on the way.
Diamondback in Talks to Build Permian NatGas Power for Data Centers
2025-02-26 - With ample gas production and surface acreage, Diamondback Energy is working to lure power producers and data center builders into the Permian Basin.
Comments
Add new comment
This conversation is moderated according to Hart Energy community rules. Please read the rules before joining the discussion. If you’re experiencing any technical problems, please contact our customer care team.