Fire closes Equinor’s Hammerfest LNG export plant

Norwegian energy giant Equinor has shut down its Hammerfest LNG export plant following a fire in an oil-powered turbine at the facility.

Equinor said the incident occurred on Monday at about 15:30h local time with no injuries reported.

Images on local media showed smoke rising from the plant but Equnior said later in the day that the fire was put out with work ongoing to cool down the stricken area.

Furthermore, the Norwegian firm said it evacuated all non-emergency staff from the facility notifying relevant authorities on the incident.

It remains unclear when Equinor would bring back online the facility.

This incident occured just hours after Equinor restarted the facility following an outage and a gas leak.

The operator shut down the plant on September 11 and tried to bring it back online two days later but closed it again following a gas leak.

The Norwegian firm restarted the plant early on September 28 and it worked just for hours prior to the fire.

The closure of the terminal which liquefies natural gas from the Snohvit (Snow White) field in the Barents Sea reduced production by 18 million cubic metres per day.

Natural gas from Snohvit reaches Hammerfest LNG via a 160-kilometer 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 fuel produced at the facility mainly lands at LNG terminals in Europe but also in Asia.

Equinor is the operator of both the Snohvit field and Hammerfest LNG with a 36.8 percent stake.

Most Popular

Venture Global nears launch of Plaquemines LNG production

According to a FERC filing, Plaquemines LNG has now fulfilled the environmental conditions which were necessary prior to the...

Geocean kicks off work on Congo FLNG mooring project

French marine and offshore contractor, Geocean, a VINCI Construction Grands Projets unit, has started working on a new contract...

Golar CEO says Nigerian FLNG FID unlikely before 2025

In June, Golar and NNPC signed a project development agreement (PDA) for the deployment of an FLNG. The agreement aims...

More News Like This

Equinor says costs climb for Hammerfest LNG upgrade project

The project includes onshore compression and electrification of the Hammerfest LNG terminal. "Since the PDO (plan for development and operation)...

First LNG-powered LCO2 carrier nears delivery in China

The first of two Northern Lights JV’s LNG-powered liquefied CO2 carriers is undergoing trials in China ahead of its...

Eidesvik, Equinor to convert LNG-powered PSV to use ammonia as fuel

Norwegian energy firm Equinor has signed a contract with compatriot Eidesvik Offshore to convert the LNG dual-fuel PSV, Viking...

Eidesvik’s LNG-fueled PSV to continue work with Equinor

Norwegian shipping firm Eidesvik Offshore has secured a contract extension from compatriot energy firm Equinor for one of its...