The Ichthys project also sent five plant condensate cargoes, seven offshore condensate cargoes, and eight LPG cargoes during the first quarter of this year, Inpex said on Tuesday in its financial report.
This compares to 34 LNG cargoes, six plant condensate cargoes, eight offshore condensate cargoes, and nine LPG cargoes during the first quarter of 2024.
Inpex also provided shipment data for April. The Ichthys project sent 11 LNG cargoes, two plant condensate cargoes, three offshore condensate cargoes, and three LPG cargoes during the last month.
Production was reduced in April
Last month, Inpex said that the LNG plant was producing at a reduced rate, without providing further details.
An Inpex spokesman told LNG Prime on Tuesday that “a pressure differential was detected in a heat exchanger at Train 1 on the FPSO, and the production rate was therefore reduced for about two weeks.”
“During this time, optimization efforts were undertaken, including redistribution to Train 2 and an emphasis on production from wells with lesser volumes of condensate,” he said.
The spokesman said this resulted in maintaining an overall production rate of about 80~90 percent.
“In mid-April, the production rate was restored to 100 percent, where it remains at this point. The effect on the number of cargoes was therefore minimal,” he said.
Maintenance
The spokesman also said that the company expects to ship over nine LNG cargoes per month during 2025, including scheduled maintenance.
“Ichthys LNG is expected to ship roughly the same number of LNG cargoes as last year (116 LNG cargoes) taking into consideration the scheduled maintenance,” he said.
Data posted on the Inpex Australia website shows that the maintenance scope includes both Ichthys LNG trains.
Inpex plans to start maintenance on August 18 and complete it on October 8.
In addition, the scope also includes Ichthys Explorer CPF and Ichthys Venturer FPSO.
Inpex aims to begin maintenance on the CPF on August 19 and the FPSO on August 23.
Maintenance work on both facilities is expected to be completed on September 29.
In 2024, Inpex shipped 116 LNG cargoes from its Ichthys export plant, down 13 shipments from the previous year.
The company shipped 66 LNG cargoes from its Ichthys export plant during the first half of 2024, one cargo more compared to the same period in 2023.
However, Ichthys LNG Train 2 was taken offline on August 20 due to a heat exchanger issue. After repairs were completed, it was returned to service on October 9.
On September 10, Inpex announced it had decided to reduce Train 1’s rate of operations to about 70 percent to carry out inspections, as the unit is using the same equipment as Train 2.
The first liquefaction train resumed full operations in early December.
Third train
Besides the two trains, Inpex is also planning to build the third liquefaction train at the Ichthys plant.
Inpex’s financial report earlier this year stated that it plans to launch the third train in the first half of the 2030s.
“The outlook remains unchanged, but we have no new details to share at this stage,” the spokesman said.
Ichthys LNG is a joint venture between operator Inpex and major partner TotalEnergies.
Last year, Inpex also purchased a small stake in Ichthys LNG from compatriot Tokyo Gas to boost its stake from 66.245 percent to 67.82 percent.
Besides TotalEnergies, other partners in the Ichthys project include Australian units of CPC, Osaka Gas, Kansai Electric Power, Jera, and Toho Gas.
Natural gas arrives to the LNG plant at Bladin Point, near Darwin, from the giant Ichthys field offshore Western Australia via an 890-kilometer-long export pipeline.
