HAMMERFEST, Norway: For a quarter-century, energy executives were tantalized by vast quantities of natural gas in one of the world's most inhospitable places - off Norway's northern coast, beneath the Arctic Ocean.

Bitter winds and fierce snowstorms lash the region, located 90 miles, or 145 kilometers, from the country's shoreline.

The sun disappears for two months a year. No oil company knew how to operate in such a harsh environment.

But Norway has finally solved the problem. The other day, on an island just offshore, a giant yellow flame illuminated the sky here. It was just a temporary flare for excess gas, but it signaled a new era in energy production.

Across the bay from this small fishing village, where reindeer wander the streets, one of the world's most advanced natural gas plants is coming to life. Within weeks, natural gas will start crossing the ocean in specially designed ships, feeding into the pipeline network for the eastern coast of the United States. Before Christmas, furnaces in New York and stoves in Washington will be burning the fuel. It will be the first commercial energy production from waters north of the Arctic Circle.