Equinor’s Melkøya LNG plant expected to restart ahead of schedule

The plant is now slated for opening June 18, rather than the end of June.

OSLO — Equinor expects to restart its Melkøya liquefied natural gas plant on June 18, the company’s website showed on Thursday.

The shutdown of the plant, which liquefies natural gas from Equinor’s Arctic Snøhvit field for export to the global market by tankers, was previously expected to last until June 30.

The company said the maintenance was a planned event, but it also comes at a time when LNG demand is depressed amid coronavirus-related lockdowns.

Reporting by Nerijus Adomaitis.