Equinor LNG plant broke rules ahead of 2020 fire

OSLO: Equinor must fix a series of rule breaches exposed by a fire at its Melkoeya liquefied natural gas (LNG) plant in Norway last year for the plant to reopen, the country’s safety watchdog said on Thursday. The September 2020 blaze shut down production at the plant, also referred to as Hammerfest LNG, and Equinor has said it could take until October to be repaired. “The serious breaches that we saw are related specifically to management and compliance to procedures ... and also to manning in the organisation,” Anne Myhrvold, director of the PSA watchdog, said after presenting the investigation’s findings. Other deficiencies were related to risk analysis and filter maintenance, as well as the need for an overview of the emergency response resources, she added. The fire broke out in the air intake of a gas turbine generator, the PSA said, where filters had likely auto-ignited after being clogged by insects. — Reuters