Richard Finch appointed as new Inpex boss
One of the Territory’s biggest companies has appointed a new man to the top job. Read who it is.
Business
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LNG giant Inpex has appointed Richard Finch as general manager of its Northern Territory corporate interests.
A decade-long employee with the Japanese-headquartered company, Mr Finch has worked with Inpex since 2013 and been based at the Ichthys LNG plant on Darwin’s Bladin Point plant for the past six years.
A company statement said Mr Finch has worked in senior leadership roles across Inpex supporting offshore and onshore operations, exploration, drilling and logistics.
It said with his long connection to Ichthys LNG and strong regulatory background, “Richard is well placed to take on this important role”.
Originally brought to Darwin for a two-year secondment, Mr Finch has embedded himself in the community, becoming standing chair of NT Worksafe’s work health and safety advisory council and is involved in school, football, basketball and netball.
“I am passionate about the Territory and making a contribution to the community both personally and professionally,” Mr Finch said.
“I’m looking forward to working alongside the INPEX Darwin team and our stakeholders (and) am proud to be contributing to positive outcomes here in the Territory, through jobs, training and social and economic benefits.”
Mr Finch will take over from Stuart Knowles, who stepped aside from the role in February.
About 600 Territorians work at Inpex’ Bladin Point plant.
Company senior vice president corporate Bill Townsend said with about 70 per cent of the company’s global revenue coming from northern Australia, the NT general manager’s role is vitally important to the company.
“For us he is our chief diplomat in Darwin for liaison with key stakeholders, community and government as well as being the company’s representative in the Northern Territory,” Mr Townsend said.
“In putting Richard in the general manager’s role he is now representing Inpex’s’ ongoing commitment to Darwin and the Territory as at the epicentre of our business and at the heart of our global operations.”
Mr Townsend said anticipated increased demand for LNG from northern Asia would drive planning around a possible third LNG train in Darwin.
About 70 per cent of LNG from the Ichthys field goes to Japan, about 20 per cent to Taiwan and the remainder throughout other Asian markets.
“We’re anticipating a 30-40 per cent increase in electricity demand across the region by 2035 and a drop off in gas and coal fired power to be replaced by LNG as the world decarbonises,” he said.
“We’re bullish because we have amazing facilities in Darwin and it makes sense because we’re contributing to energy security in the region on the pathway to net zero.”
Carbon capture and storage remains a high priority for the company as the world transitions away from fossil fuels. Inpex’s partnership with Woodside and TotalEnergies to develop the Bonaparte CCS joint-venture project remains on track with an aquifer drill rig en route from Europe and drilling expected to commence in late June.
“CCS is a safe and proven technology that’s critical for the world to decarbonise and it will give us the ability to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions by 40 per cent,” he said. “We see an opportunity for a Darwom CCS hub are collaborating to progress this concept with Santos, the NT and federal governments and the CSIRO.
We believe there will be longer term opportunities to take carbon dioxide from other emitters and store for them.”
Inpex has also taken a 50 per cent stake in Australian renewables company ENEL Green Power Australia which has solar and wind farm assets across four states, and could be part of a longer-term push into the Territory.
“We now have a pipeline of opportunities and some of those could be in the Northern Territory in the longer term,” he said.
“The future is about a diversified mix of cleaner energy including gas, renewables and other energy solutions.”
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