The Snohvit gas project in the Barents Sea has encountered a number problems following technical errors at the Melkøya LNG plant. This summer operator StatoilHydro spent two month on the upgrade of the prestige project. The result is better than the sceptics feared. According to newspaper Dagens Næringsliv, the plant now produces about 70 percent of capacity. -I can not confirm any figures, but I can confirm that we have managed to produce according to plans this fall, information director Sverre Kojedal says to the newspaper. He confirms that the management at the plant has become better at handling the technically vulnerable facilities. One of the main problems with the Melkøya plant has been the cooling systems, which are unable to handle the high pressure at full production. StatoilHydro intends to conduct another major upgrade at the plant next fall, which will bring production to 100 percent of capacities.
