From 18 to 20 June 2018, we carried out an audit of Equinor and its operation of electrical facilities at the Sture plant in Øygarden in Hordaland.

Objective

The objective of the audit was to monitor how Equinor is complying with regulatory technical, operational and organisational requirements associated with electrical facilities.

The audit was performed as planned and was well organised by Equinor. The dialogue was open and constructive. The discussions that were held gave an impression of professionally skilled and committed employees. The distribution stations were observed to be well organised and tidy. The condition of the electrical installations appeared to be mainly good. We also had a positive impression of the company’s follow-up of the electrical accident that occurred last year (2017).

Result

The audit identified a number of regulatory non-conformities. These comprised explosion protection (ignition source control), emergency lighting, emergency power, electrical installations, work in and operation of electrical facilities and non-conformity handling. We also observed improvement points in respect of manning and capacity, temporary equipment, protection settings and the application of regulations in respect of major conversions and modifications of facilities.

We have asked Equinor to report to us by 15 September 2018 on how the non-conformities will be addressed. We have also requested the company’s assessment of the improvement points observed.