Melkoya as it was presented to look after completed construction of gas plant (© Statoil).

The bakcground for the project

The Norwegian oil company Statoil is going to build an installation for liquid natural gas (LNG) at Melkoya outside Hammerfest. As a part of the preliminary investigations the Cultural Department of the Regional Authorities registered the cultural-historical remains on the island in 1999.

Archaeological remains, pre-war buildings and remains from the German activity on the island during WW2 were registered and documented. The age of the prehistoric remains stretches over thousands of years, from Early Stone Age (ca 7000-5000 BC) to Early Iron Age (ca. 300 AD).

The Museum of Tromso is responsible for the protection and maintenance of prehistoric remains in Northern Norway and is now conducting archaeological excavations on Melkoya. The excavations are financed by Statoil. This is due to norwegian law concerning cultural heritage, where pre-reformation remains and Saami remains older than 100 years are protected. Statoil applied for, and was granted, dispensation from the law providing that they financed the expenses of the investigations. More information on Statoil's Snohvit-site.