Statoil completes Hammerfest upgrades

STAVANGER, Norway, Nov. 9 (UPI) -- Statoil announced upgrades to its liquefied natural gas facility on Melkoya Island are finalized following a three-month planned shutdown.

Statoil said the Hammerfest LNG facility underwent "extensive" modifications to ensure that the gas processing and liquefaction plant can maintain production.

Workers replaced 15 heat and four seawater exchangers at the LNG plant. Completed upgrades and maintenance involved more than 600,000 man-hours of labor, Statoil said.

Operators in August estimated the work would take 510,000 man-hours. The Hammerfest LNG facility is fed by natural gas from the Snohvit field in the Barents Sea.

Statoil said LNG from Snohvit provides the company with an opportunity to enter the U.S. gas market.

The company said production at the facility began Sunday, but a technical fault prompted operators to shut the plant down for repairs.

Resumption of gas liquefaction could resume as early as this week.