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Inpex mulls Ichthys LNG expansion
AUSTRALIA
JAPANESE developer Inpex has revealed that it is looking at ways to expand its $45bn Ichthys LNG project offshore north-western Australia as it approaches full capacity.
“In Australia our focus is on fully utilising our Ichthys LNG facilities, while creating a solid base for future expansion,” Inpex’s president director for Australia, Hitoshi Okawa, told Reuters on September 13.
Okawa said the 8.9mn tonne per year (tpy) Ichthys LNG project was ramping up smoothly and that he expected the terminal to reach peak capacity shortly. The executive said that since its first shipment of LNG in October 2018, Ichthys had dispatched a further 77 cargoes as well as 18 shipments of liquid petroleum gas (LPG) and 36 condensate cargoes.
Inpex imports LNG into Japan to meet demand from the country’s power utilities, which are looking for ways to diversify their fuel mix away from coal towards cleaner burning gas.
While Okawa did not provide an exact time- table for the project reaching full capacity, the company had originally anticipated that it would take two to three years before it plateaued.
In terms of a possible expansion, Okawa said
the company had enough room to add another four production trains that could be fed from either offshore fields or from Inpex’s acreage in the onshore Beetaloo Basin in the Northern Territory.
The company is seeking the NT government’s approval to begin exploration work.
Okawa added that the 890-km pipeline that connects the Ichthys field and the liquefaction facility had five free connections for new offshore fields to tie into.
In terms of the company’s other offshore exploration efforts, Okawa said the company was looking to begin acquiring seismic data in the 3,460-square km Block AC/P66 in the Bon- aparte Basin, which it won in June. The block, which lies in water depths ranging from 60 to 500 metres, lies within the vicinity of the Laminaria oilfield. Inpex operates the licence with a 100% participating interest.
In response to questions about potential acquisitions in Australia, including PTT Explo- ration and Production’s (PTTEP) Cash Maple gas field, Okawa said: “At this moment, we would not rule out any opportunity to meet with our Vision 2040.”™
GRID
Pakistan seeks changes in CASA-1000 deal
Pakistan has formally asked Tajikistan
to invoke the open access clause in the agreement under CASA- 1000 project paving way for two way trade of electricity, as under the existing deal, Pakistan is bound to import 1,000MW electricity per day at 9.50 cents per unit in summer season from May to October once this project comes into stream.
Pakistan will also not bear the electricity transit loss in Afghanistan in case of any subversive activity in Afghan territory. Under new scenario, Pakistan is now surplus in electricity and wants to export it to the Kyrgyz republic, Tajikistan and Afghanistan in winter season by using the same structure of CASA project.
Additional Secretary Power Division Waseem Mukhtar, who is representing Pakistan in CAREC countries’ two days conference ‘Breaking the Investment Barrier in Central Asia’, said while talking to The News that in next meeting of the countries involved in CASA project, Pakistan will take up the issue and ask electricity supplier
NEWS IN BRIEF
countries -- Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan -- to review the deal under open access clause ensuring the two-way electricity trade arguing that Pakistan is now surplus in electricity. CASA secretariat has included the issue of change in agreement flagged by Pakistan in the agenda of next meeting.
The project will be completed with the cost of $1.17bn and apart from transmission line, converter stations will be constructed each in Tajikistan, Afghanistan and Pakistan. In Pakistan, at Nowshera, the land is being acquired for setting up a converter station.
China initiates ‘energy
interconnection’ to ensure
power supply in Asia
China has proposed setting up an “energy interconnection” in Asia to ensure steady power supply in Asia.
China made the proposal during an energy conference held in Cebu City in the central Philippines attended by over 300 energy industry leaders from the region.
The conference organised by the Association of the Electricity Supply Industry
of East Asia and Western Pacific (AESIEAP) discussed ways to hurdle the challenges facing the power industry in a bid to develop innovative solutions to ensure a sustained power supply in the region.
The Global Energy Interconnection Development and Cooperation Organization (GEIDCO), an non-governmental and non- profit international organization, presented the Asia Energy Interconnection Research report detailing the overall plan and key projects for Asia energy interconnection projects.
“The report offers Chinese wisdom
and solution for ensuring power supply, accelerating the clean transition, and promoting energy infrastructure and the development of upstream and downstream industries in Asia,” the AESIEAP said in a statement.
According to the statement, the Global Energy Interconnection (GEI) is a modern energy system steering towards clean energy production, widespread energy allocation and electricity-centered energy consumption, an important platform for large-scale development, transmission and utilization of clean energy resources at a global level.
Liu Zhenya, the chairman of GEIDCO, said the energy and power sector in Asia is
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Week 38 24 •September•2019