Equinor's Hammerfest LNG Plant Closed for Up to a Year After Fire

By Dominic Chopping

Equinor ASA said Monday that its Hammerfest liquefied-natural-gas processing plant will be closed for up to a year to repair the damage caused by a fire last month.

Hammerfest LNG, on Norway's northern coast, receives and processes natural gas from the Snohvit field in the Barents Sea, with gas transported in a 160 kilometer gas pipeline to the facility.

Equinor said that in addition to damage caused by the fire on the air intake on one of the plant's five power turbines, large amounts of seawater that was used to extinguish the fire has damaged other auxiliary systems such as electrical equipment and cables in the plant.

"It is the scope of work of these consequential damages that are considered the most extensive and the duration of the shutdown will depend on the delivery time of necessary equipment," it said.

"Progress will also be affected by the current restrictions related to the Covid-19 virus," it added.

Equinor will use the downtime to also carry out other maintenance and repair work that was planned for 2021.

Write to Dominic Chopping at [e-mail]

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

October 26, 2020 03:58 ET (07:58 GMT)

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