Inpex gets exploration permit offshore Western Australia

Japan’s Inpex Corporation announced on August 20 that it had been awarded an exploration permit for release area AC22-1, now designated as AC/P71 (the block), in Australia’s 2022 Offshore Petroleum Exploration Acreage Release.

Inpex Browse, a local subsidiary of Inpex, will serve as the operator and hold a 100% working interest in the title. The block is located off the northern coast of Western Australia and spans approximately 920 km², with water depths ranging between 100 and 300 meters. It is situated to the north of, and in proximity to, the Ichthys gas-condensate field, which supplies natural gas to the Ichthys LNG project. The Ichthys LNG project has a nameplate capacity of 8.9mn tonnes/year.

The block is adjacent to the AC/RL7 retention lease, in which Inpex acquired a 74% participating interest in 2023, where natural gas and condensate fields have already been discovered. This positions the block in a highly promising exploration area, the company said.