Inpex Corp. and its partners in the 8.9-million tonne/year Ichthys LNG field development awarded McDermott International Ltd. to provide front-end engineering and design (FEED) services for the project’s booster compression module. The award includes an option to perform engineering, procurement, and construction for the same module.
The booster compression module will be added to Ichthys LNG’s offshore central processing plant off the northwest coast of Western Australia. McDermott is also undertaking umbilicals, risers, and flowlines as part of expanding Ichthys LNG. The company will complete FEED at its Asia Pacific headquarters in Kuala Lumpur.
Ichthys LNG operates two onshore liquefaction trains at a plant near Darwin, Northern Territory, that has space for as many as four more. Gas is transported post-processing to the plant via an 890-km subsea pipeline.
Australia’s National Offshore Titles Administrator (NOTA) renewed Inpex’s Browse basin exploration permit earlier this year (OGJ Online, June 23, 2020). The permit includes production license WA-51-L which contains Ichthys field. Its renewal will allow Inpex to continue exploration through mid-2025.
Inpex holds 66.245% of Ichthys LNG and is its operator. Partners include Total (26%) and Australian subsidiaries of CPC Corp. (2.625%), Tokyo Gas (1.575%), Osaka Gas (1.2%), Kansai Electric Power (1.2%), JERA, (0.735%), and Toho Gas (0.42%).