Oct. 2012 - Norwegian oil major Statoil announced Tuesday that it and its partners have decided to stop work on a capacity increase at the Melkøya facility serving the Snøhvit license in the Barents Sea after they concluded that current gas discoveries do not justify the expansion of the field. Statoil said that over the last 18 months, the Snøhvit license partners carried out studies for the expansion of gas exports from the field, and that increased capacity would enable the accelerated gas production of increased reserves in the Snøhvit license. Thorough studies were carried out both on an LNG train and a dew-point facility/pipeline solution, while considerable resources were devoted to finding solutions that could make a capacity expansion possible. However, the license partners have now decided the immediate future will focus on optimizing and upgrading the existing LNG facility at Melkøya. Statoil, the operator, holds 36.79 percent of the Snøhvit license, while Petoro, Total E&P Norge and RWE Dea Norge hold 18.4 percent, 12 percent and 2.81 percent respectively.

Jan. 2012 - Statoil has shut production at the Snohvit gas field in the Barents Sea and LNG production at its Melkoya plant due to a ruptured fire water line. The rupture at the plant occurred Wednesday, January 13. The operator is working to eradicate the problem. Gas from the Snohvit field is transported to Melkoya for liquefaction and exports. Snohvit is located approximately 87 miles (140 kilometers) northwest of Hammerfest, Norway.

Nov. 2011 - Statoil has signed an agreement to acquire Hess' 3.26% ownership in the Snohvit unit and adjacent production licenses. The company will receive Hess' 11.25 percent stake in PL 097 and an 8.33 participation interest in PL 110, forming a 3.26 percent participation interest in the Snohvit Unit and the Hammerfest LNG facility. Furthermore, the agreement calls for a 3.26 participating interest in PL 110B, PL 110C and PL 448. Following the transaction, Statoil's ownership will increase to 36.79 percent.

Jul. 2011 - Statoil granted AGR Field Operations an extension for inspection and certification of non-complex lifting equipment. The services will include Statoil's operations on the Norwegian continental shelf in the North Sea, from Snohvit in the north to Sleipner in the south. The work scope includes 30 offshore installations and four onshore facilities. The duration of this increase is 24 months with an option for a further 24-month period.

Apr. 2011 - Statoil has awarded a pre-front-end engineering (pre-FEED) contract to Global Engineering and Construction Group for the Snohvit future development project at Statoil's Melkoya-based LNG facility on Melkoya Island about 280 miles (450 kilometers) north of the Arctic Circle, Hammerfest, Norway. The company's scope of work includes concept design activities in order to support the finalization of the development concept and of the plant capacity for the expansion of LNG production at the Melkoya LNG facility, as well as energy optimization investigations. The existing Snohvit facility has a design capacity of 4.2 million tones per annum, and processes gas from the Snovhit and Albatross fields in the Barents Sea. Statoil serves as the operator, holding a 33.53% interest. Project partners include Petoro with 30%, Total with 18.4%, Gaz de France with 12%, Hess with 3.26% and RWE DEA with 2.81%.

May. 2010 - Statoil has stopped production at the Snohvit LNG plant to inspect the sub-cooling unit. The operator will also perform a minor turnaround at the plant during the third quarter of this year. Snohvit is located approximately 87 miles (140 kilometers) northwest of Hammerfest, Norway, in the Hammerfest Basin. Statoil serves as the operator, holding a 33.53% interest. Project partners include Petoro with 30%, Total with 18.4%, Gaz de France with 12%, Hess with 3.26% and RWE DEA with 2.81%.

Apr. 2010 - Statoil has postponed plans to replace a large heat exchanger on the Snohvit LNG plant until the second quarter of 2011. Instead, the operator will perform a minor turnaround at the plant during the third quarter of this year. Snohvit is located approximately 87 miles (140 kilometers) northwest of Hammerfest, Norway, in the Hammerfest Basin. Statoil serves as the operator of Snohvit with a 33.53% interest. Project partners include Petoro with 30%, Total with 18.4%, Gaz de France with 12%, Hess with 3.26% and RWE DEA with 2.81%.

Jan. 2010 - Statoil resumed production of LNG from its Snohvit field. Snohvit produces to an LNG facility, located in Hammerfest, Norway, but the facility was closed for maintenance and upgrades in the summer of 2009. Initially, the start-up was scheduled for November 2009, but it was delayed due to a defective motor. The motor was replaced and production of the field resumed. StatoilHydro serves as the operator of Snohvit with 33.53% interest. Project partners include Petoro with 30%, Total with 18.4%, Gaz de France with 12%, Hess with 3.26% and RWE DEA with 2.81%.

Nov. 2009 - On June 3, 2009, StatoilHydro shut down its Snovhit LNG complex for scheduled repairs. Repairs have been completed on time, and production recently resumed. The work performed at the LNG facility included the replacement and modification of 11 heat exchangers, four seawater exchangers, and several other components. The first gas field in the icy waters of the Barents Sea, Snohvit has faced difficulties since its late start-up in 2007; however, the operator hopes to be able to prevent further outages with these improvements.

Jun. 2009 - StatoilHydro will shut down its Snohvit LNG complex for an estimated 80 days from mid-August for scheduled repairs. The Snohvit LNG complex is Europe's sole export facility for LNG. The first gas field in the icy waters of the Barents Sea, Snohvit has faced difficulties since its late start-up in 2007; however, the operator intends to prevent further outages with these upcoming improvements.

May. 2009 - After a planned shut-down at the Barents Sea gas development Snohvit, StatoilHydro restarted production from the LNG plant. StatoilHydro shut in production at the Snohvit LNG plant in April 2009 for planned maintenance. Snohvit is the first development in the arctic waters of the Barents Sea. Located in the Hammerfest Basin offshore Northern Norway, Snohvit is a completely subsea gas development with a pipeline to the onshore LNG plant at Melkoya.

Feb. 2009 - Norway's StatoilHydro said on Wednesday that it would stop production at a processing plant for its offshore Snohvit gas field in the Arctic in mid-August for at least two months and possibly around 80 days. The liquefied natural gas (LNG) processing plant on Melkoya island outside of Hammerfest on Norway's far-northern coast has been beset by teething troubles since the start-up in late 2007.

Oct. 2008 - Production from the Snohvit field in the Barents Sea is due to stop on October 4 for a planned 30 days to replace two heat exchangers at the gas liquefaction plant.

Jul. 2008 - Production from the Snohvit field in the Barents Sea resumed yesterday, Thursday, July 10, after extensive service work comprising 150,000 labor hours.