Equinor awards EPCI contract to Aibel for Hammerfest LNG project

Offshore staff

STAVANGER, Norway — Equinor has, on behalf of the Snøhvit partnership, awarded Aibel a major contract for Hammerfest LNG modifications in connection with the Snøhvit Future project. The contract is subject to governmental approval of the project.

The Hammerfest LNG plant at Melkøya, northern Norway, receives gas from fields in the Barents Sea.

Aibel has been awarded a contract that involves engineering, procurement, construction and installation (EPCI) of two new processing modules related to the onshore compression and electrification of the Melkøya plant. They will also build a new receiving station for power from shore and carry out integration work at the plant.

The contract is an option in the FEED contract awarded to Aibel in September 2020.

Aibel will also carry out further upgrades of existing systems at Hammerfest LNG to make the plant more resilient for extended life until 2050.

This year and next, Aibel will award several major contracts to its subcontractors for work at the plant and will facilitate the use of local suppliers in several phases of the project, including construction. The engineering/design work starts immediately.

Aibel will carry out large, complex modifications at Hammerfest LNG. They will also build larger modules at their yards, and most of the work will be carried out in 2024-2026.

"Aibel has been one of our main suppliers for Hammerfest LNG since the startup in 2007. They know the plant well, have set up a local department in Hammerfest and have solid experience from other major modification projects on plants while onstream," said Mette H. Ottøy, Equinor's chief procurement officer.

The Snøhvit Future project consists of online compression and electrification of Hammerfest LNG at Melkøya. As the pressure drops in the reservoirs, compression is required to ensure sufficient flow of the gas to the plant. The project will extend plateau production and ensure high gas exports, jobs and ripple effects also after 2030, while reducing CO₂ emissions from the plant by 850,000 tonnes annually, corresponding to 2% of Norway’s total emissions. The Norwegian parliament has decided to reduce Norwegian emissions by 55% by 2030.

Equinor said NOK 13.2 billion (US$1.3 billion) will be invested in the Snøhvit Future project, ensuring continued operation of the plant toward 2050.

02.14.2023