Japan’s Inpex Corporation has completed a major milestone in the development of its Ichthys LNG project, announcing it has finished offshore pipelay works for the 890km gas export pipeline.
The Ichthys pipeline holds the title of being the longest pipeline in the southern hemisphere in addition to the third longest subsea pipeline in the world.
The offshore pipelay work began in June 2014 and was installed by Saipem’s SEMAC1 barge and Castorone pipelay.
The gas export pipeline will deliver gas from the Ichthys gas-condensate field to the onshore facilities at Bladin Point near Darwin for processing.
“Completion of the offshore pipelay marks a significant milestone for the project,” Ichthys managing director Louis Bon said.
“It means we are one step closer to physically connecting our onshore plant near Darwin to the Ichthys field where our offshore facilities will be permanently moored for the 40-year life of the project.”
Inpex said it would conduct other necessary work on the pipeline in preparation for operational start-up in 2017.
The milestone follows the recent launch of the projects central processing facility (CPF).
The CPF, one of the world’s largest semi-submersible, was officially launched from the offshore floating dock at the Samsung Heavy Industries shipyard in Geoje, South Korea, where it has been under construction since 2013.
Once completed, the CPF will be towed 5600km to the Ichthys field in the Browse Basin, offshore Western Australia, where it will be permanently moored for about 40 years by 40,000t of chain secured to about 20,000t of foundation piles.
The Ichthys project is a joint venture between Inpex, French major Total and the Australian subsidiaries of Tokyo Gas, Osaka Gas, Chubu Electric Power and Toho Gas.
Along with announcing a 10 per cent project cost blowout to $US37.4 billion in September, Inpex lifted the anticipated annual LNG production capacity for the two-train project from 8.4Mtpa to 8.9 Mtpa.
Recommended Reading
Hess Corp. Bucks E&P Trend, Grows Bakken Production by 7%
2025-01-29 - Hess Corp. “continues to make the most of its independent status,” delivering earnings driven by higher crude production and lower operating costs, an analyst said.
Oil, Gas and M&A: Banks ‘Hungry’ to Put Capital to Work
2025-01-29 - U.S. energy bankers see capital, generalist investors and even an appetite for IPOs returning to the upstream space.
Matador Appoints Paul W. Harvey to Board
2025-01-29 - Harvey holds over 40 years of investment experience and is currently the private wealth adviser at Dallas-based Vaquero Private Wealth.
Haslam Family Office: ‘We Need Hydrocarbons’
2025-01-29 - The managing director of HF Capital—the office for Tennessee's Haslam family—says that as long as oil, gas and other energy sources are lacking capital, there’s an investment opportunity.
The Private Equity Puzzle: Rebuilding Portfolios After M&A Craze
2025-01-28 - In the Haynesville, Delaware and Utica, Post Oak Energy Capital is supporting companies determined to make a profitable footprint.
Comments
Add new comment
This conversation is moderated according to Hart Energy community rules. Please read the rules before joining the discussion. If you’re experiencing any technical problems, please contact our customer care team.