‘Throughout Covid-19 the business continues to operate safely and efficiently’: Inpex dodges bullet with shutdown work completed before lockdown

Darwin’s Inpex-operated $55bn Ichthys LNG Project is breathing a sigh of relief, completing shutdown work prior to the Covid-19 lockdown.

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DARWIN’S Inpex-operated $55bn Ichthys LNG Project is breathing a sigh of relief.

The company has dodged a bullet with its multimillion dollar shutdown that saw its workforce balloon to 1400.

The shutdown work was completed last week before Darwin was forced into a five-day lockdown and the fly-in, fly-out workers needed for the work had left the Northern ­Territory.

Of the 1400 workers involved in the shutdown, about 60 per cent were Territory-based workers and the rest were fly-in, fly-out employees from around the country.

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Inpex’s Northern Territory general manager Roland Houareau said the shutdown had been completed safely and was a success.

“I’m pleased to advise that the onshore production ­resumed on June 23,” he said. “Throughout Covid-19 the business continues to operate safely and efficiently.

“This includes the planning and execution of the first major planned maintenance shutdown at Ichthys LNG.

“With onshore production recommencing on June 23, and the restart and ramp-up of our facilities well ­progressed, our first major ­maintenance shutdown has been safely completed. This achievement is testament to the hard work and tenacity of our local ­workforce, including our local contractors and suppliers.”

Mr Houareau said the company continued to implement active measures to help slow the spread of Covid-19 and mitigate risks across Inpex’s facilities.

“The health and wellbeing of our personnel and the communities in which we operate remains our highest priority,” Mr Houareau said

“Since the start of the ­pandemic, we have been continuously reviewing our operational activity planning and associated workforce levels to support a safe working environment, while complying with all government Covid-19 restrictions.”

Head of Australian operations for the Japanese energy giant Hitoshi Okawa stressed the significance of the 26-day shutdown.

“At this moment more than 75 per cent of Inpex’s revenue is coming from Ichthys LNG, so it is not a core part of Inpex’s business, it is a super core asset for Inpex,” Mr Okawa said.

“This is a costly exercise to shutdown Ichthys, but ­importantly I wanted to make it clear safety is paramount and cost comes last.”