This temporary closure is due to the discovery of a contraction in a heat exchanger tube.
Statoil’s experts are working together with representatives for the suppliers and licence partners in order to identify the cause. A possible reason for the contraction is the presence of residual moisture following the maintenance shutdown earlier this year.
There are also plans to carry out some corrective maintenance during the shutdown.
Snøhvit is the first offshore development in the Barents Sea. Without surface installations, the project pipes large volumes of natural gas ashore to be liquefied at Hammerfest LNG on Melkøya. Hammerfest LNG is the world’s most northerly and Europe’s first LNG export facility.