INPEX has just announced that operations have commenced at the Ichthys LNG Project, located in the Ichthys Gas-condensate Field, offshore Western Australia. The large-scale project is expected to be operational for over 40 years.

The Ichthys LNG Project is set to produce and ship approximately 8.9 million tonnes of LNG, along with approximately 1.65 million tonnes of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) per year. It is predicted that the project will produce approximately 100,000 barrels of condensate per day during its peak.

The produced gas will be gathered within the Central Processing Facility (Ichthys Explorer) where it will be separated into gases and liquids. Thereafter, the liquids will be piped to the nearby Floating Production, Storage and Offloading (FPSO) Facility (called the Ichthys Venturer), whereas the gases will be transported via the 890-kilometre long Gas Export Pipeline (GEP) to the onshore gas liquefaction plant at Darwin in the Northern Territory.

The condensate will be contained at the FPSO, where well fluids will be processed to remove water and other impurities, then stored in tanks prior to export by tankers. The gas will be processed at the onshore gas liquefaction plant to remove impurities after which any remaining condensate will be extracted. The first shipment of the products is currently predicted to occur between now and September 2018, (but is subject to change).

In 1998, INPEX acquired an exploration permit in the block where the Ichthys project is located, and following development studies (such as exploration, evaluation and FEED work), the company announced their final investment decision (FID) for the project in January 2012.

More information on this project can be accessed here.