Saipem has signed an EPCI contract with INPEX for the Gas Export Pipeline (GEP) on the Ichthys LNG Project in Australia.
Saipem’s scope of work will include the Engineering, Procurement, Construction and Installation of 889 kilometres of a 42-inch-diameter subsea pipeline, in water depths of up to 275 metres, connecting the offshore central processing facility to the onshore processing facility in Darwin.
Offshore activities will be carried out during 2014 by the newly-built Castorone pipelay vessel. The recently upgraded Semac 1 pipelay barge will be employed for the shallow water section.
The Ichthys LNG Project is a Joint Venture between INPEX (76%, the Operator) and Total (24%). Gas from the Ichthys Field, in the Browse Basin, approximately 200 kilometres offshore of Western Australia, will undergo preliminary processing offshore to remove water and extract condensate. The gas will then be exported to onshore processing facilities in Darwin via an 889 kilometres subsea pipeline. The Ichthys Project is expected to produce 8.4 million tonnes of LNG and 1.6 million tonnes of LPG per annum, along with approximately 100,000 barrels of condensate per day at peak.
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LNG World News Staff, January 18, 2012; Image: Saipem