Statoil has taken charge of the first commissioned system for the Hammerfest LNG plant at Melkøya. It is now being tested before it become operative during the summer.
Production operator Nils-Petter Arnesen (left) and systems coordinator Ronny Langøy check the compressors in the air gas facility.
The air gas system being tested will supply air gas and produce nitrogen for other parts of plant infrastructure at Melkøya, as and when they are completed, tested and made operative.
"We've made good construction progress this spring, something we're extremely pleased with," says Odd Mosbergvik, project director for Snøhvit. "Much of the installation work is going on in parallel with the completion and testing of deadline-critical elements of the plant. The plant will be completed during the autumn, in the order testing requires."
During the test phase, systems are checked to ensure they function in relation to certification and specification. The tests are being carried out in partnership with personnel from Statoil Commissioning, equipment suppliers, the Linde engineering company and Aker Kvaerner, who has the main contract for completion of the Hammerfest LNG plant.
"The air gas facility is important for the process plant at Melkøya. When this system becomes operative, we will produce enough air and nitrogen to start up the rest of the plant," says Ronny Langøy, systems coordinator in Statoil.
Operators from Snøhvit's operations organisation will monitor the control systems during the test phase. Test phase startup will therefore also mark the start of 24-hour staffing of control room operations at Melkøya.
Statoil is the operator for development and operation of the Hammerfest LNG plant. The facility will convert gas from the Snøhvit gas field to liquefied natural gas (LNG) from December 2007.