Japan’s Inpex has acknowledged its final investment decision on the $30 billion-plus Ichthys liquefied natural gas venture in northern Australia may slip into next year. The admission on Friday that the go-ahead may come in mid-January came less than two weeks after Inpex insisted the decision was on track for the end of the year. Inpex and partner Total SA of France, which owns 24 per cent of the project, have to hold separate board meetings to consider the huge investment.

Angela Macdonald-Smith