Equinor ready to load first Hammerfest LNG cargo since September 2020

Norway’s Equinor will soon load the first cargo at its 4.3 mtpa Hammerfest LNG export plant since a fire that broke out at the facility in September 2020.

Equinor closed the Hammerfest LNG plant on Melkoya island on September 28, 2020. The fire occurred in turbine 4.

Last week, an Equinor spokesperson told LNG Prime that the plant had resumed operations and started cool down, but it did not produce LNG to tanks.

“The first liquified natural gas (LNG) is now on tank at Melkoya,” Equinor said in a statement on Thursday.

There are three LNG tankers located in the vicinity of the plant, namely Arctic Voyager, Arctic Lady and Arctic Princess.

“Normally, it takes 4-5 days to fill the storage tanks at the plant, before the ships are loaded with LNG for shipping to receiving terminals in various markets,” Equinor said.

In full production, a ship carrying some 1 TW of energy would leave the LNG plant about every five days, it said.

Hammerfest LNG 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.

Much-needed supplies for Europe

Prior to the incident, the facility supplied LNG mainly to terminals in Europe but also in Asia.

The restart of the plant comes at a time when European countries are looking to phase out Russian gas supplies.

LNG imports to Europe reached record highs this year and a big part of these additional supplies came from the US.

“With the start-up of Hammerfest LNG, we add further volume to the already substantial gas deliveries from Norway. This is of great significance in a period when predictable and reliable supplies are highly important to many countries and customers,” Irene Rummelhoff, Equinor’s executive VP for marketing, midstream and processing said in the statement.

Norway is an important gas supplier to Europe, and the volumes from Hammerfest LNG account for more than 5 percent of Norwegian gas exports.

During normal production Hammerfest LNG delivers around 6.5 billion cubic meters per year, equivalent to the annual gas demand of 6.5 million European households, Equinor said.

Most Popular

Venture Global’s Plaquemines LNG to commission fourth tank

US LNG exporter Venture Global LNG has received approval from the US FERC to commission the fourth storage tank with LNG at its Plaquemines plant in Louisiana.

Worley gets full notice to proceed on first phase of CP2 LNG project

Australian engineering firm Worley has received a full notice to proceed from US LNG exporter Venture Global LNG under its reimbursable EPC contract for the first phase of the CP2 LNG project in Louisiana.

US FERC issues final SEIS for NextDecade’s Rio Grande LNG project

The US Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) has released a final supplemental environmental impact statement for NextDecade's Rio Grande LNG facility and the accompanying pipeline in Texas. FERC continues to conclude that approval of the projects would result in "less than significant impacts."

More News Like This

MOL, Equinor name LNG-powered VLCC

Japan's shipping giant MOL has named an LNG dual-fuel very large crude carrier which will serve Norway's Equinor under a charter deal.

Equinor further extends Hammerfest LNG maintenance

Norwegian energy firm Equinor has further extended the maintenance shutdown of its 4.3 mtpa Hammerfest LNG export plant, a spokesperson for Equinor told LNG Prime on Monday.

Equinor extends Hammerfest LNG maintenance

Norway’s Equinor has extended the planned maintenance shutdown of its 4.3 mtpa Hammerfest LNG export plant by 10 more days.

Norway’s Equinor names new gas and power head

Norwegian energy firm and LNG terminal operator Equinor has named Helle Ostergaard Kristiansen as the new head of its gas and power business.