ABB has signed a five-year agreement to provide services to the operator Inpex to optimise LNG production at the Ichthys LNG project. Currently under construction, Ichthys combines advanced offshore facilities 220km off the coast of WA with new onshore processing facilities in Darwin joined by an 890km subsea pipeline.

ABB has already supplied more than $200 million worth of electrification and automation equipment for the project, together with critical equipment in the gas processing plant.

The project is expected to have an operational life of 40 years, and so extending equipment asset lifetimes is critical.

The agreement provides Inpex with a commercial framework and the convenience of dealing with a single entity for services, products and 24/7 support. When operational, this will include electrical asset management, remote condition monitoring, predictive analysis and alarm management.

The Ichthys LNG project is a joint venture between Inpex, Total, CPC Corporation Taiwan, and the Australian subsidiaries of Tokyo Gas, Osaka Gas, Kansai Electric Power, Jera and Toho Gas.