Equinor to start Hammerfest LNG operations next week

Norwegian oil major Equinor says it has scheduled the start-up of the Hammerfest LNG facility for the next week.

In a statement from 16 May, Equinor informed that it had wrapped up the extensive repairs at Melkøya. However, the run-up of the plant takes somewhat longer than planned, the company said.

During the weekend, there was a minor fault on a compressor that needs to be rectified prior to start-up. The component is now being replaced, and the stepwise process towards operations continues through the week.

Hammerfest LNG, outside Hammerfest in Finnmark county, is a facility that receives and processes natural gas from the Snøhvit field in the Barents Sea. It became operational back in 2007.

The facility has been closed ever since the fire incident in September 2020. Initially, the start-up of the operations was to be 1 October 2021. In April of the same year, Equinor pushed the date to March 2022. This was due to the comprehensive scope of work after the fire and also due to Covid-19 restrictions.

“Hammerfest LNG has been prepared for production, but we are taking the extra time necessary to safely resume operations,” says Grete B. Haaland, Equinor’s senior vice president for onshore facilities.

In January, Equinor announced that the start-up of Hammerfest LNG will take place on 17 May 2022. After an extensive repair and improvement work period, the plant is now ready for ramp-up.

The partnership includes Equinor Energy, Petoro, TotalEnergies EP Norway, Neptune Energy Norway, Wintershall Dea Norway. Equinor is the operator of Hammerfest LNG.