Norway’s Equinor (EQNR.OL) has restarted operations at the Hammerfest LNG terminal, Western Europe’s largest liquefied natural gas (LNG) export facility, following more than three months of maintenance, a company spokesperson confirmed on Monday.
Located in Arctic Norway and also known as Melkoya LNG, the plant had been offline since April 22. While operations were initially expected to resume by July 19, the restart was postponed for undisclosed reasons, News.Az reports, citing Reuters.
With an annual capacity of 6.5 billion cubic meters, Hammerfest LNG can supply natural gas to around 6.5 million European homes each day, representing roughly 5% of Norway’s total gas exports.
The facility processes gas transported from the Snohvit field in the Barents Sea, located approximately 143 kilometers (89 miles) offshore.
Hammerfest LNG is jointly owned by Equinor, Petoro, TotalEnergies (TTEF.PA), Var Energi (VAR.OL), and Harbour Energy (HBR.L).
The restart comes at a crucial time as Europe continues to navigate energy security concerns amid fluctuating gas supplies and geopolitical tensions.
