Norway’s Hammerfest LNG export terminal is undergoing repairs after a mechanical fault in a valve forced the facility to shut down late last week, operator Equinor said on Tuesday.
The plant, located on Melkoeya island in northern Norway, is expected to resume operations at 1800 GMT on Wednesday following maintenance work on the damaged equipment.
Hammerfest LNG is Europe’s largest liquefied natural gas export terminal, with a daily processing capacity of 18.4 million cubic metres of gas. The outage temporarily disrupted part of Norway’s gas export flows to Europe.
The facility accounts for around 5% of Norway’s total gas exports, making it a key supplier to European energy markets amid continued demand for stable gas deliveries.
Gas processed at the terminal is supplied from the Snoehvit field in the Barents Sea, located about 143 km offshore from the Arctic coast of Norway.
Equinor said the shutdown was linked to a mechanical issue involving a valve, though no further operational damage was disclosed.
The Hammerfest LNG plant is jointly owned by Equinor, Petoro, TotalEnergies, Vaar Energi and Harbour Energy.
The temporary closure comes as European markets continue to closely monitor gas supply reliability following recent volatility in global energy trade and LNG shipments.