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SEAAOC, Northern Australia’s largest and longest established petroleum conference returns next week for it’s 24th year. No other programme attracts such a high calibre of speaker and delegate attendance from across the entire oil and gas world, and 2019 will be no different. Speaking this year we have Roland Houareau,General Manager, Northern Territory at INPEX and we were fortunate enough to have Roland answer a few questions in the lead up to the event:
As the new INPEX General Manager of the Northern Territory, what are you responsible for and how are you settling into the role?
I have been fortunate enough to be part of our incredible INPEX journey since 2009.
As the nominated corporate representative for INPEX in the NT, broadly speaking the role is about focusing on our immediate and near-term objectives whilst supporting the design and strategy for the INPEX 2040 Vision.
This future-facing role encourages regular stakeholder engagement and business growth for both INPEX and the NT business community.
Back in 2003 I worked on the first LNG plant to be built in the NT, so I feel lucky to get another opportunity to live and work in the NT.
Darwin is a great place to raise a family and our young children have embraced the NT.
We are just one of approximately 500 INPEX direct and related families living and working in Darwin.
How is production at Ichthys LNG tracking?
Importantly, my colleague Dave Dann and his excellent leadership team run the Ichthys LNG onshore facilities. Start-up and commissioning were the effort of many people who did an outstanding job and who continue to operate our facilities – safely, reliably and efficiently.
Since our production start-up mid last year, more than 100 cargoes* have safely departed Australia.
* 120 cargoes on 19 August = 71 LNG cargoes, 16 LPG cargoes, 21 field condensate (offshore) and 12 onshore condensate cargoes.
We are now currently ramping-up our operations and are very pleased with how things are tracking. With both trains fully operational, the focus of the Company for the year ahead is ramping up commercial production and the export of LNG, LPG and condensate to reach plateau production targets.
In the near term our focus is on fully utilising our current Ichthys LNG facilities over their expected 40-year lifespan, while creating a solid foundation for future expansion in Australia.
What is the main focus for INPEX in Northern Australia over the next few years?
Our first priority is to ensure our Ichthys LNG facilities are fully utilised over their expected 40-year lifespan, while creating a solid foundation for future expansion in Australia. This message was re-enforced by our global President and CEO Takayuki Ueda as well as by our Board of Directors, during their recent visit to Darwin.
The structure of our business in Australia is designed to enable expansion and maximise choices and options. For example, we have the framework in place to add additional LNG trains to our facility at Bladin Point.
We also understand there are possibilities to expand production through either onshore and offshore opportunities. We plan to continue our focus and activities in priority exploration areas including the offshore Browse, Canning and Bonaparte basins and the onshore Beetaloo Basin.
We believe the Beetaloo Basin may have significant gas potential and we will carefully and respectfully consider our interests in this area.
Roland Houareau,General Manager, Northern Territory at INPEX will be speaking at SEAAOC, part of the NT Resources Week in Darwin taking place on 4 – 5 September 2019. This fantastic event is a standout in the calendar of all in the resources sector in the region, providing the best in networking and knowledge sharing experiences. For more information please visit https://www.ntresourcesweek.com.au/