Darwin

The Darwin LNG (liquefied natural gas) plant at Wickham Point in the Northern Territory was commissioned in early 2006 after the successful construction of the facility that began in mid 2003. The gas processed at the Darwin LNG facility comes from the Bayu-Undan gas field located in the Timor Sea via a 502 kilometres long sub-sea pipeline.

Darwin LNG is Exported to Japan

The gas is converted into liquefied natural gas at the Darwin LNG plant before being sold to Tokyo Gas and Tokyo Electric in Japan. The plant has been exporting an average of one cargo ship load of LNG a week to its Japanese customers since 2006.

Darwin LNG is a Joint Venture Operation

The Darwin LNG plant is owned by a joint venture group of companies that include ConocoPhillips, Santos, INPEX, Eni, Tokyo Electric and Tokyo Gas. ConocoPhillips is the majority interest holder of the joint venture and is also the operator of the Bayu-Undan facility, the 502 kilometre long gas pipeline and the Darwin LNG plant at Wickham Point.

Darwin LNG Uses Technology Perfected at the Alaskan Kenai LNG Plant in 1969

The Darwin LNG plant incorporates state-of-the-art environmental and engineering technology. The plant uses a unique ConocoPhillips Optimised Cascade technological process of liquefaction of the gas. This process involves a two trains in one design that increases flexibility and reliability. It is a process first used in the Alaskan Kenai LNG plant by ConocoPhillips in 1969. The Darwin LNG plant is a major Australian gas project that has a strong and long future that offers diverse employment opportunities to the people of Darwin.

Darwin LNG Majority Shareholder, ConocoPhillips, is USA Based

ConocoPhillips has its global headquarters in Houston, USA. It is the largest oil and gas exploration and production company in the world based on current proven reserves and production figures, having operations in 29 countries around the world. The company became established in Australia almost 20 years ago.

Darwin LNG is the Smallest LNG Plant in Australia

The Darwin LNG plant is the smallest of the three currently operating LNG plants in Australia. ConocoPhillips, the major shareholder in the Darwin operation, is also constructing another such plant in partnership with Origin Energy at Gladstone in Queensland, known as the Australia Pacific LNG Project.

Despite ConocoPhillips obtaining Federal Government approval to build three LNG production trains at the Darwin LNG plant, it is still using the same infrastructure it put in place when it started exporting in 2006. However, it has started searching for gas to backfill its existing Darwin LNG plant when contracts expire in 2023, when the Bayu-Undan gas field begins to run low. Expansion of the Darwin LNG plant, along with backfill, is being considered as an alternative to further development of floating gas processing facilities in the Bonaparte, Timor and Browse Basins off the Darwin coast. The Bayu-Undan gas field will not produce gas forever and the sourcing of raw gas from other sources therefore becomes a real option.

The Darwin LNG plant that was engineered and constructed by Bechtel has the capacity to produce 3.5 million tonnes of LNG a year. The†ConocoPhillips technology used at the DARWIN LNG plant is marketed worldwide by a collaboration between Bechtel-ConocoPhillips. The process involves three processing stages that produce methane, ethylene and propane through progressively refrigerating the natural gas to temperatires beow minus 161 degrees Celsius.