Ichthys Explorer, the central processing facility (CPF) for the Inpex-led Ichthys LNG project sailed away from the Samsung Heavy Industries (SHI) yard in South Korea.
Inpex added that the production from the Ichthys LNG project will start before the end of the current fiscal year, ending March 31, 2018, following completion of installation and commissioning of the CPF and the FPSO, the Ichthys Venturer, that is also scheduled to be towed to the Ichthys field.
It was previously said that the project would start production by the third quarter of 2017.
Ichthys Explorer set sail for Australia following the completion of shipyard commissioning and preparation work. It will be towed to the Ichthys field located about 220 kilometers offshore Western Australia over a period of approximately one and a half months, after which it is scheduled to undergo hook-up.
The facility will then separate and process the produce lifted from subsea production wells into gasses and liquids over 40 years of continuous operation.
Inpex said it will proceed with construction work on the onshore natural gas liquefaction plant outside of Darwin in the Northern Territory of Australia. At full capacity, the project will be producing 8.9 million tons of LNG per year.
The project is a joint venture between Inpex, major partner Total, Taiwan’s CPC Corporation and the Australian subsidiaries of Tokyo Gas, Osaka Gas, Kansai Electric, Chubu Electric Power and Toho Gas.