On 20 December 2022, Equinor submitted a plan for development and operation (PDO) of Snøhvit Future on behalf of the Snøhvit partnership to the Minister of Petroleum and Energy. On 8 August 2023, Norwegian authorities announced that the project has been approved.
Sustaining production
The Snøhvit partners will invest NOK 13.2 billion (2022) in upgrading the Hammerfest LNG plant, HLNG, at Melkøya. The proposed development includes an onshore compressor, transformer station and electric steam boilers on Melkøya, as well as a grid connection including a transformer station at Hyggevatn, as well as the development of new power capacity from Skaidi to Hammerfest.
Onshore gas compression will provide enough flow from the reservoir to extend plateau production and maintain high gas exports from HLNG beyond 2030. Electrification will reduce CO2 emissions from HLNG by around 850,000 tonnes per year.
Snøhvit Future will strengthen Norway’s position as a reliable and long-term supplier of LNG to Europe. Electrification will allow us to deliver this gas with close to zero greenhouse gas emissions from production. The project will secure long-term operations and gas exports from Melkøya towards 2050.
Major emissions reductions
This is one of the largest individual emission reduction measures for decarbonization of oil and gas production in Norway. The project is a key contributor to the energy transition.
Electrification entails replacing the current gas turbine generators with power from shore. This will cut emissions equivalent to 13 per cent of the oil and gas industry’s overall 55 per cent emissions reduction by 2030. The project’s emissions reductions correspond to two per cent of Norway’s annual emissions.