Ichthys Project Starts up CCGT

Ichthys LNG project, operated by Japan's Inpex, has started up gas turbine generators at its onshore combined cycle gas (CCGT) power plant power plant at Bladin Point near Darwin in Australia's Northern Territory.

The 490 megawatt power plant has enough capacity to supply all the electricity needs of the onshore liquefaction plant. 

Power and Water Corporation in the Northern Territory provided the initial gas for the start-up process. Ultimately it will be fueled with gas from the same Ichthys field that will provide feed gas to the liquefaction plant. Inpex said the firing-up marks "a step closer to Ichthys LNG Project becoming the world’s first LNG plant to use combined cycle technology."

When fully operational the US$34bn Ichthys LNG Project will have the capacity to produce at peak up to 8.9mn metric tons/yr of LNG, up to 1.65mn mt/yr of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), and 100,000 barrels per day of condensate.

Last month Total CEO Patrick Pouyanne said Ichthys LNG – originally due onstream late 2016 – was now looking “something like an April or May 2018 start-up”. Total is the project's second largest shareholder with 30% equity. Operator Inpex has a 62.245% stake, while Taiwan's CPC has 2.625%, and five Japanese firms hold the balance: Tokyo Gas 1.575%, Osaka Gas 1.2%, Kansai Electric 1.2%, Jera 0.735% and Toho Gas 0.42%.

Mark Smedley