Man with a plan: Jiro Okada
Inpex pushes back Ichthys date
Japan's Inpex said today that liquefied natural gas production from the Ichthys project in north-west Australia is likely to start in 2013, rather than by the end of 2012, as originally planned.
An Inpex spokesman told Reuters that an exact schedule has not been set.
Meanwhile, Inpex and partner Total signed a project facilitation agreement with the Northern Territory government, which will see the pair consider Darwin as a possible site for an LNG plant.
Darwin is 850 kilometres from Ichthys, but it offers some benefits in terms of infrastructure, Inpex said.
Inpex managind director Jiro Okada said in a statement the company would take a serious look at building LNG facilities at Middle Arm in Darwin.
However, Inpex said its first preference is still to build an onshore LNG plant on the Maret Islands, in Western Australia's Kimberley region. The Marets are only 190 kilometres from Ichthys.
At its peak, the Ichthys project is projected to produce about 8 million tonnes of LNG per year and 100,000 barrels per day of condensate and liquefied petroleum gas per day.
Okada said its joint venture will make a decision later this year on the best location for the onshore LNG plant.
Inpex has a 76% stake in Ichthys, with France's Total holding the remainder.