Emergency Causes Shut Down of Hammerfest LNG Plant

Norwegian oil major Statoil reported Tuesday that it has had to shut down its LNG plant at Melkøya, Hammerfest after a power failure on Monday.

The incident, which occurred at 2:30 p.m. local time, resulted in emergency personnel being mobilized, while the plant's workers were evacuated from the inner area of the facility to its outer area. Statoil also confirmed that no-one has been injured in the incident.

Statoil said that the plant was without power for around 20 minutes before it received power from the grid and work to normalize activity at the plant is now being carried out.

In a phone call with Rigzone, Norway's Petroleum Safety Authority confirmed that it has been notified by Statoil of the emergency shutdown.

"We are monitoring the situation and are in contact with the operator," said a PSA spokesperson.

Production at the Hammerfest LNG plant will remain halted until the facility has been inspected Tuesday and checked for any damage or malfunction, according to Statoil.

The Hammerfest LNG plant receives large volumes of natural gas via an 89-mile long pipeline from the Snøhvit field in the Barents Sea.

A former engineer, Jon is an award-winning editor who has covered the technology, engineering and energy sectors since the mid-1990s. Email Jon at jmainwaring@rigzone.com.

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