The Hammerfest LNG plant at Melkøya. (Photo: Ole Jørgen Bratland)
Fires that crippled two Equinor plants in Norway last year were caused by both technical and human errors, the energy company said on Wednesday, promising to hire and train more staff.
A blaze last September at Hammerfest LNG, Europe s only large-scale liquefied natural gas plant, caused an outage expected to last 18 months, while a fire in December at the Tjeldbergodden methanol facility took two months to repair. We are bolstering our recruitment of engineering resources within electrical disciplines and up to 50 skilled workers are bound for the onshore facilities, the company said in a statement.
Norway: PSA investigates oil spill from Gullfaks C
03 May 2021
Norway s
Petroleum Safety Authority Norway (PSA) has launched an investigation into an incident involving oil spilt to the sea from the
Gullfaks C facility on 26 April 2021.
The discharge is understood to have occurred in connection with starting up production from the Tordis field, which is tied back to Gullfaks C.
Oil was observed on the sea after production had got under way. Gullfaks operator Equinor has estimated the size of the spill at 17.5 cubic metres of oil.
The PSA regards the incident on Gullfaks C as serious and has initiated an investigation.
Hammerfest LNG restart delayed until March 31 2022
Apr 26, 2021 7:35:am
Summary Equinor previously said it might take until October 2021 to get Hammerfest LNG back up and running. [image credit: Equinor]
by: Joseph Murphy
Posted in:
Hammerfest LNG restart delayed until March 31 2022
The Hammerfest LNG plant in Norway s far north is not expected to resume operations until March 31, 2022, its operator Equinor reported on April 26, six months later than previously anticipated.
A serious fire broke out at the facility in September last year. Norway s Petroleum Safety Authority (PSA) concluded this month that pre-filters in the air intake of a power turbine likely ignited, after a buildup of insects lowered the system s ignition temperature. It noted serious regulatory breaches at the facility.
Safety
Flashback: the September 2020 blaze at Equinor s Hammerfest LNG facility in Melkoya, Norway Photo: BJARNE HALVORSEN/NTB/SCANPIX Dead insects in the filters: Norway watchdog hits Equinor with safety rap over LNG plant blaze
Norwegian operator says it has initiated a comprehensive programme following September 2020 fire at facility in Melkoya 22 April 2021 10:40 GMT Updated 22 April 2021 10:41 GMT in Stavanger
Dead insects in five-year-old air-intake filters and heat from anti-icing panels likely caused an ignition that resulted in a serious fire last year at Equinor’s Hammerfest liquefied natural gas plant in Norway, according to a safety probe report.
Norway s Petroleum Safety Authority (PSA) identified serious breaches of regulations at the LNG plant that resulted in the 28 September fire, which has forced the facility to be taken offline.
Equinor and safety watchdog face off over Johan Castberg weld defects
Oil giant disputes claims by Norway s Petroleum Safety Authority that floater will leave Singapore yard with higher number of defects than industry standard 22 April 2021 5:44 GMT Updated 22 April 2021 5:44 GMT in Stavanger
Equinor has hit back at claims by Norway s safety watchdog that the operator s troubled Johan Castberg floating production, storage and offloading unit is on course to sail from a Singapore yard with a higher number of defects than usual for the industry.
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