Japanese oil and gas giant Inpex says it no longer plans to use marine blasting to create a shipping channel in Darwin Harbour for its proposed Ichthys liquefied natural gas processing plant.
Inpex submitted its final environmental impact statement for the Ichthys LNG hub at Darwin today, which outlined changes to its original proposal, including the use of new dredging technology rather than blasting.
Inpex also said it would reduce the overall dredge volume by one million cubic metres.
The company also said it had launched a number of long-term research programs to study coastal dolphins, water quality and said studies showed no impact of sediment loads on barramundi and mud crabs in Darwin Harbour and Shoal Bay.
Inpex is developing Ichthys in joint venture with French oil and gas firm Total, and it is expected to process 8.4 million tonnes of LNG and 1.6 million tonnes of LPG per annum, as well as 100,000 barrels of condensate per day at its peak capacity.
The gas will be sourced from the Ichthys gas field, 200 kilometers off shore in Carnarvon's Browse Basin.
