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“The delayed start-up is due to challenges with a cooling compressor and a part that will have to be replaced,” the spokesperson said.
“So the new start-up date is August 3,” the spokesperson added.
Equinor closed the plant on the island of Melkøya for yearly maintenance on April 22.
Gassco data showed that Equinor previously expected to restart the LNG export facility on July 19. However, Equinor then extended the shutdown until July 29.
In January this year, Equinor decided to stop Hammerfest LNG production due to an issue on a compressor which reinjects CO2 to the field.
The firm then extended the shutdown on January 9 for ten more days due to additional repair work.
Equinor’s LNG plant mainly supplies European countries with LNG.
According to Equinor, its production capacity of around 6.5 bcm of gas per year is enough to supply 6.5 million households with light and heat.
The LNG terminal liquefies natural gas coming from the Snohvit field in the Barents Sea.
Gas reaches Hammerfest LNG via a 160-kilometer gas pipeline which became operational in the autumn of 2007.
Equinor is the operator of both the Snohvit field and Hammerfest LNG with a 36.8 percent stake.
Other license owners of Snohvit are Petoro (30 percent), TotalEnergies EP Norge (18.4 percent), Neptune Energy Norge (12 percent), and Wintershall Dea Norge (2.81 percent).
In addition, the partners are currently working on upgrading the facility.
The Snohvit Future project will extend the productive life of Hammerfest LNG past 2030, and includes onshore compression and electrification of Hammerfest LNG.