A contract worth just over NOK 1.5 billion covering mechanical outfitting for the Snøhvit land facilities in northern Norway has been awarded to Aker Stord by operator Statoil.
“This job has been won in sharp competition with foreign bidders,” says Hans Kristiansen, site manager for the plant on Melkøya island outside Hammerfest.
“Aker Stord submitted the best tender in terms of technical content, execution and price. It’s gratifying that Norwegian industry has again shown that it can compete for big projects.”
Part of the Aker Kværner group, the west coast yard will be responsible for all installation and hook-up of mechanical modules.
Mobilisation is scheduled next January, with work starting the following March or April. The contract will run until the end of 2005.
Modules due to be assembled into a large gas liquefaction plant are under construction in various parts of Europe and will be shipped to Melkøya on completion.
Ranked as Europe’s first full-scale production and export facility for liquefied natural gas (LNG), the Snøhvit development is due to come on stream in 2006.
Located 140 kilometres offshore in the Barents Sea, the field’s gas reserves will be piped to Melkøya and shipped out after processing and liquefaction to the USA and southern Europe.