Greetings from Melkøya adresses how to deal with remnants from the Norwegian petroleum industry, and the coexistence of humans, animals and machines. The case studied is an island located right outside the city of Hammerfest in Northern Norway, called Melkøya. Today, the island houses the most important gas plant in Norway, exporting large quantities of liquified gas (LNG) to Europe. 

As the gas plant on Melkøya is one of the largest climate emission points in Norway, it is frequently discussed. By the end of 2022, Equinor has applied to electrify the gas plant, which has heated the debate. As well as reducing Norway’s emissions with 850.000 tons of CO2 annually, an electrification of the plant would be in conflict with nature considerations and reindeer grazing areas, with a new 420 kilovolt power line needing to be established between the town Skaidi and the city of Hammerfest.

The project is an exploration of how to handle Melkøya as a post petroleum landscape, based on the assumption that the gas production will be phased out in 2050, and that the electrification of the island never happens. The intervention of the project takes place in 2070, when the island is unplugged from any large sources of energy and is almost self-sufficient, only dependent on workforce and tourism from the mainland. While new interventions are made and the productive activities of the island have taken new forms, fragments of history is still visible. The gas plant, which was previously a dominant view from Hammerfest, is now partly recycled and partly reused for new purposes.