Norway Strike Could Shutter Gas Plants

Statoil's Melkoeya liquefied natural gas (LNG) plant and Shell's Nyhamna gas processing plant would have to shut if Thursday's wage talks fail and workers go on strike, the country's oil and gas industry association said on Thursday.

Melkoeya turns natural gas from the offshore Snoehvit field in the Barents Sea into LNG to be transported by tankers around the world, while Nyhamna feeds the Langeled pipeline, Britain's main subsea gas import route.

The strike could also affect ExxonMobil's oil refinery at Slagen, but it has been already shut for maintenance. The strike could prolong its return to operation, the association said.

Reporting by Nerijus Adomaitis