Equinor’s Hammerfest LNG plant in northern Norway was evacuated on Tuesday after a gas leak occurred during maintenance. The leak has been stopped, and all 54 people who were at the plant at the time have been accounted for. The plant, Europe’s largest LNG export facility, was already offline for scheduled maintenance at the time of the leak. Equinor said in a statement that the plant will remain offline until Friday at least. The company added that it is too early to say whether the incident will cause a delay to future production. There were no reports of injuries, and local police said there is no risk to the general population in the area. Hammerfest LNG, also known as Melkoeya, has the capacity to deliver about 6.5 billion cubic meters (bcm) of gas per year, enough to supply about 6.5 million European homes. The plant receives its gas via a pipeline from the Snoehvit offshore gas field. Its owners are Equinor, Petoro, TotalEnergies, Vaar Energi, and Wintershall Dea. Norway is Europe’s largest supplier of natural gas after a sharp reduction in Russian deliveries since the start of the war in Ukraine in 2022.
Hammerfest LNG Plant Evacuated After Gas Leak, Remains Offline Until Friday
