Ichthys

Location

The Ichthys field is situated approximately 220 kilometers offshore from the northern coast of Western Australia, in the Browse Basin. The onshore processing facilities are located at Bladin Point near Darwin, Northern Territory.

Ownership and Partners

The project is operated by INPEX, which holds a 66.245% interest. Other major partners include TotalEnergies (26%), CPC Corporation Taiwan (2.625%), and various Japanese energy companies such as Tokyo Gas, Osaka Gas, Kansai Electric Power, JERA, and Toho Gas, each holding smaller percentages.

Project Overview

The Ichthys LNG project is one of the world's largest and most complex liquefied natural gas (LNG) projects. It involves the entire LNG production chain, including subsea, offshore, pipeline, and onshore facilities.

Offshore Facilities

• The project includes the Ichthys gas-condensate field, which covers an area of approximately 800 square kilometers in waters averaging 250 meters deep.
• The field is estimated to contain more than 12.8 trillion cubic feet of gas and 500 million barrels of condensate.
• The offshore facilities include a central processing facility (CPF) named Ichthys Explorer, which is the world’s largest semi-submersible production platform. It weighs around 122,000 metric tons and supports hydrocarbon processing systems, utilities, and living quarters for about 200 people.
• A floating production, storage, and offloading (FPSO) unit called the Ichthys Venturer processes, stores, and exports condensate.

Pipeline

• The project features an 890-kilometer gas export pipeline, which is the longest subsea pipeline in the Southern Hemisphere. The pipeline is 42 inches in diameter and is composed of about 700,000 tons of steel and coated with 550,000 tons of concrete. It connects the offshore CPF to the onshore processing facilities at Bladin Point near Darwin.

Onshore Facilities

• The onshore LNG processing facility at Bladin Point includes two LNG processing trains with a combined annual capacity of 8.9 million metric tons of LNG. The facility also produces 1.65 million metric tons of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) and up to 100,000 barrels of condensate per day.
• The onshore facilities also include product storage tanks, LPG and condensate plants, a 500MW combined-cycle power plant, administration facilities, utilities, and a product load-out jetty.

Production and Export

• The project commenced commercial production in October 2018 and started condensate and LNG shipments shortly thereafter.
• The annual production capacity includes up to 9.3 million tonnes of LNG, 1.65 million tonnes of LPG, and more than 100,000 barrels of condensate per day at peak production.
• Approximately 70% of the LNG produced is scheduled to be supplied to Japanese customers.

Development and History

• The Ichthys field was discovered in 2000.
• The final investment decision (FID) for the project was made in May 2012, and construction began immediately after.
• The project involved significant engineering, procurement, construction, and installation (EPCI) work, with major contractors including McDermott International and Saipem.

Environmental and Regulatory Aspects

• The project was assessed jointly by the Northern Territory Government and the Australian Government under relevant environmental legislation.
• An environmental impact assessment was conducted, and a comprehensive environmental management program was implemented to monitor and minimize impacts.

Investment and Scale

• The project was developed with an estimated investment of $40 billion.
• It is one of the largest resource developments in the world, expected to operate for 40 years.

The Ichthys LNG project is a landmark in the energy sector, showcasing advanced engineering and technological capabilities in the extraction, processing, and export of liquefied natural gas.