Monday Fire at Equinor’s Arctic Snow White Facility “One of the Most Serious Incidents in Norwegian Petroleum History”

The Norwegian Petroleum Safety Authority considers Monday’s fire at the Equinor gas facility at Melkøya, near the North Cape, one of the most serious incidents in Norwegian petroleum history, according to NRK.

– A fire of this extent is serious, says Director of Communication and Corporate Social Responsibility Inger Anda of the Petroleum Safety Authority Norway.

The incident occurring at the Snow White facility Monday night triggered full alarm in Hammerfest. It took eight hours to put out the fire. The incident means all gas production at the facility will be shut down for an indefinite period of time.

The cause of the fire is yet unknown. The fire comes on top of 33 gas leaks since the facility started operating in 2007 and is the most serious incident in 13 years.

Equinor was informed Tuesday that both the Petroleum Safety Authority as well as the police will investigate the incident.