The series of serious and unwanted incidents at Equinor’s LNG plant on Melkøya, outside Hammerfest, continues. On 4 May this year, the plant was shut down after a fault was found in a heat exchanger. On Wednesday morning, the alarm went off again when a gas leak was discovered, and the plant had to be evacuated. The leak was stopped later in the day, but it is unclear when production can start up. The cause of the gas leak is unknown. The Petroleum Safety Authority writes in an e-mail to news that they are considering launching an investigation. However, Bellona believes that both Equinor and the Petroleum Safety Authority take safety at the facility too lightly. – We believe that the Petroleum Safety Authority is far too weak in the pinch, and that they should not allow start-up until Equinor is able to operate the plant safely, says senior advisor at Bellona, Eivind Berstad. Eivind Berstad in Bellona believes it is not safe to go to work on Melkøya and demands that the Petroleum Safety Authority intervenes. Photo: Sissel Janne Forsberg In 2020, a major fire broke out at the plant. The Petroleum Safety Authority characterized the incident as one of the most serious in petroleum history. The incident led to an 18-month shutdown. Several discrepancies The investigation report found, among other things, discrepancies related to management and governance, as well as staffing. Berstad refers to an inspection from February, where it appears that Equinor still has major challenges with staffing and expertise. Inspections from September also support, he believes, that Hammerfest LNG still does not have control over how they follow up on deviations. – For example, by the fact that cases were closed without being corrected. Failure to follow up on deviations and ignoring warnings was the background for the fire in 2020. It is incomprehensible that Equinor has not learned, he says. Gas from Melkøya has become very important for Europe after Russia went to war in Ukraine. Photo: Allan Klo Berstad believes the employees have reason to fear for their own safety. – There is absolutely reason to be concerned about the safety of the employees at Melkøya, it is just a miracle that no one was injured in the fire in 2020, says the senior adviser. – We are considering launching an investigation, says press contact at the Petroleum Safety Authority, Eileen Brundtland, in an e-mail to news. She says that they take the incident at Hammerfest LNG seriously and that they have followed the case closely. She responds to the criticism from Bellona as follows: – We have followed Melkøya closely over several years, both with investigations and in supervision. However, it is too early to compare today’s event with past events. Not afraid at work Terje Nilsen is an Industry Energy shop steward at Equinor on Melkøya. He is not afraid to go to work and believes that most employees feel safe. – Yes, I would say that. We have probably had a few individual cases where people have felt insecure that employees without the necessary skills are being put on assignments where they have big shoes to fill, but this is today exceptional, says Nilsen. Terje Nilsen is an Industry Energy representative at Equinor on Melkøya. He is not afraid to go to work, but is still concerned that there are too many inexperienced workers at the plant. Photo: Hanne Larsen / news Nilsen says that after the fire in 2020, Equinor has worked a lot to close the competence gaps of its employees. He therefore believes that they are on the right track. Nevertheless: – I am concerned about the staffing situation. I wish we were more attracted to those with long experience, and I wish we were able to retain those we train. But there is too much turnover, he says. – Is it a security risk as you see it? – Yes, I would say that. It is part of the big picture. It is better to have a staff of experienced, competent employees than recent graduates with no industry experience. Press spokeswoman at Equinor, Ellen Maria Skjelsbæk, says that the employees can be safe when they go to work on Melkøya. – We take safety very seriously and it is the basis of all the work we do. When incidents do occur, we have procedures that ensure that the consequences are as minimal as possible, says Skjelsbæk. Ellen Maria Skjelsbæk, press contact at Equinor, assures that they put safety first. Photo: Arne Reidar Mortensen Often talks about major accidents Nilsen believes it is good that Equinor is followed with arguable eyes, although he points out that most of the gas leaks are what he would call undramatic. – I have only been afraid of one case of gas leakage during the years I have worked here from 2009. So this is being blown out of proportion, says Nilsen. At the same time, he admits that the conversation around the coffee table often revolves around the potentially dangerous job they have out on Melkøya. – A major accident is what we fear and what we talk a lot about, and which we seek to prevent. It’s not milk that flows through our pipes, it’s highly potent products that can cause major damage if handled incorrectly, says Nilsen. Equinor and the Petroleum Safety Authority have agreed a meeting in June to carry out an inspection of the plant. They must also follow up on deviations that have been pointed out in previous inspections. This was agreed earlier in May, according to information obtained by news.
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Bellona believes the security on Melkøya is indefensible – news Troms and Finnmark
