Ribbon gets cut at Ichthys facility

16th November 2018 By: Esmarie Iannucci - Creamer Media Senior Deputy Editor: Australasia

PERTH (miningweekly.com) – The Ichthys liquefied natural gas (LNG) processing facilities, in Darwin, have officially been opened, representing the largest Japanese investment in Australian history and the largest overseas investment by a Japanese company.

Inpex CEO, president and representative director Takayuki Ueda said today’s official opening was the culmination of a global enterprise over the last 20 years.

“Ichthys LNG is an iconic project. We are very proud of the economic and social contributions Inpex and Ichthys LNG have made to date – along with 40 years of future operations that will provide lasting economic and social benefits for Australia and energy security for Japan.”

Ichthys shipped its first LNG product in October this year, and is scheduled to start shipping liquefied petroleum gas later this year.

The project is scheduled to produce more than 10% of Japan’s yearly LNG imports, or about 8.9-million tonnes of LNG at peak production, and about 70% of the LNG produced by Ichthys will be supplied to Japanese customers.

“The Ichthys LNG project created thousands of jobs during its development and construction, and we are going to see ongoing employment, contracting and investment opportunities for generations to come, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people,” said federal Resources Minister Matt Canavan.

“The project is another strong link between Australia and Japan, delivering energy security for Japan while providing sustained economic opportunities for Australia. It is a great example of significant foreign investment creating positive outcomes at the local level.”