Held in June, the dinner was the second APIA dinner to be held in Darwin. Mr Kildare outlined the scope of the Ichthys project to the 80-strong crowd.

The Ichthys Gas Field is located in permit WA-285 in the Timor Sea and holds approximately 13 Tcf of gas. Mr Kildare said that this is comparable to the amount of gas found in Victoria’s Bass Strait in the 1960s.

INPEX’s proposed development project includes offshore processing facilities and condensate storage, and an 885 km pipeline from the field to an 8 MMt/a onshore LNG processing facility at Blaydin Point on the Middle Arm Peninsula, Darwin. First LNG is scheduled for 2015.

The floating facility will cover the same area as the MCG and will be as tall as the Eiffel Tower. The Ichthys offshore facility will be the largest floating facility in the world when commissioned.

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Mr Kildare said that approximately 2,000 people will be employed during the construction of the project. Approximately 450 staff are expected to work on the pipelay vessel engaged to lay the Ichthys pipeline. The vessel will be expected to lay up to 3 km of pipeline per day. The pipeline will be made from 750,000 t of steel.

Mr Kildare stated that the project team will encounter challenges in laying pipeline in Darwin Harbour, which is very busy. The pipeline route crosses three shipping lanes, an existing gas pipeline, fishing spots, and historical wrecks. In addition, negotiations are in progress with the military as the pipeline route runs through a military testing area.

An extensive environmental assessment has been undertaken with regard to the Ichthys project, with the draft environmental impact statement released for public comment on 15 July 2010.

Despite these challenges, Mr Kildare emphasised Inpex’s commitment to construct the Ichthys project in Darwin. “There is nowhere north of the tropic of Capricorn that could take this gas to an onshore LNG plant apart from Darwin,” he said.

Mr Kildare also stated that Inpex is no stranger to LNG projects or the Darwin environment, holding an 11 per cent share in the Bayu-Undan LNG Project.