The Inpex Bladin Point plant, located near Darwin, Northern Territory, was recently forced to shut down due to an issue related to a flange flare, leading to an unplanned production stoppage.
The facility is part of Inpex’s Ichthys LNG operations, a flagship Australian LNG project that includes onshore processing facilities at Bladin Point and offshore infrastructure.
According to Inpex’s official communications, unplanned shutdowns such as this occur when the facility experiences operational trips or equipment outages that necessitate diverting the flow of product to the ground flare system while the cause is identified and rectified.
During these events, safety is prioritised by shutting down key equipment and controlling any flaring activities to minimise environmental and operational impact.
The company notes that such incidents are rare and flaring is kept to a minimum once production stabilises again.
The flange flare issue, which forced the temporary halt, apparently required immediate attention to ensure safe plant operations.
While specific technical details about the flange flare event have not been disclosed, the shutdown involved isolating and managing flaring systems on site to prevent any potential hazard and to facilitate maintenance and repairs.
This shutdown coincided with Inpex’s planned large-scale maintenance campaign for the Ichthys LNG facilities running from August to October 2025.
This scheduled campaign, the largest maintenance in recent years, includes extensive servicing such as replacement of heat exchangers and other critical equipment across both LNG processing trains.
The planned maintenance is expected to last several weeks, involving a significant workforce increase at Bladin Point and substantial local investment.
The Bladin Point site, which processes gas delivered via an 890-kilometre subsea pipeline from the Ichthys field, is an integral part of Australia’s LNG export infrastructure.
The facility operates 24/7 and adopts stringent regulatory and operational procedures to ensure continuous supply and safety.
Inpex will continue to monitor and address operational issues like the flange flare incident promptly to restore full processing capacity while maintaining safety and environmental standards in its operations near Darwin.
