Snøhvit is an “integrated” project covering production, processing and liquefaction of natural gas, which is dispatched (or exported) in liquid form by liquid natural gas (LNG) carriers to European and North American markets.

The fields Snøhvit, Albatross and Askeladden – which supply the Snøhvit plant – were discovered in 1984. They are situated in the Barents Sea, approximately 150 kilometres northwest of Hammerfest in the north of Norway. The project's recoverable reserves are estimated to be 193 billion cubic metres of gas and 113 million barrels of condensates.

GDF SUEZ E&P Norge joined the project in 2001 by acquiring a 12% interest from Statoil. Since then, we have been actively involved in the project, seconding experts and providing technical assistance and training of the operator's personnel.

Snøhvit is the first natural gas liquefaction plant in Europe, and it is also the first such plant to be built above the Arctic Circle. Our LNG experts have been heavily involved during preparation and start-up of the plant, which is located on Melkøya Island off Hammerfest.

LNG production started at the plant in 2007 and peak annual production capacity will reach 5.7 billion cubic metres of LNG over the period 2008-2032. GDF SUEZ E&P Norge exported its first cargo of LNG from the plant in March 2008.

For the first time on the Norwegian Continental Shelf, production is entirely subsea. The gas and condensates are transported from the production wells to the liquefaction plant on by a 143-kilometre subsea, multiphase pipeline – the longest in the world.

More information

• Barents Sea exploration
  
• Statoil - Snøhvit