Reuters reported last week that Ichthys has already started trial operations at the liquefaction and export plant at Bladin Point, with an INPEX spokesperson saying the plan to begin production from the wellhead is on schedule.
The project was originally scheduled to commence production at the end of 2017, but was pushed back to March 2018 due to delays in the installation of offshore production facilities.
The Ichthys LNG Project comprises an onshore LNG processing plant, offshore processing facilities, condensate storage, a 500 MW combined-cycle power plant and an 889 km, 1,050 mm diameter offshore pipeline.
The project will develop gas from the Ichthys gas field, located in permit WA-285-P in the Browse Basin, approximately 200 km offshore northwest Australia.
Joint venture interests in the project are INPEX (63.445 per cent), TOTAL (30 per cent), CPC (2.625 per cent), Tokyo Gas (1.575 per cent), Osaka Gas (1.2 per cent), Chubu Electric (0.735 per cent) and Toho Gas (0.420 per cent).