Equinor to close Hammerfest LNG plant for maintenance

Norwegian energy giant and LNG operator Equinor will be closing its Hammerfest liquefied natural gas export plant as part of planned maintenance in May.

Equinor will shut down the liquefaction facility located on Melkøya Island for two weeks starting in the second half of this month.

The closure of Hammerfest LNG which liquefies natural gas from the Snøhvit field in the Barents Sea will reduce production by 18 million cubic metres per day, according to a Reuters report on the 6^th May.

Natural gas from Snøhvit (Snow White) reaches Hammerfest LNG via a 160-kilometre gas pipeline which became operational in the autumn of 2007.

Hammerfest LNG is able to produce about 4.3 million tonnes per year of LNG.

The chilled fuel produced at the facility mainly lands at LNG terminals in Europe but also in Asia.

Equinor is the operator of both the Snøhvit field and Hammerfest LNG with a 36.8 per cent stake.

Source: Offshore Energy Today