Inpex Awarded Gas Exploration Permit Offshore Western Australia

Inpex announced Friday that it was awarded a gas exploration permit offshore Western Australia.

The Japanese oil and gas firm through its subsidiary Inpex Browse will hold a 40% participating interest in the block WA-504-P while Santos will hold a 60% participating interest serving as operator.

This is the 11th block in which Inpex holds exploration permits or retention leases in the vicinity of the Ichthys gas-condensate field, where Inpex as operator is developing the Ichthys LNG project.

Exploration of the block will help the company maximise the potential value of the Ichthys LNG project, in line with the company’s initiatives, Inpex said.

The block is located approximately 500 km north-northeast of Broome, off the coast of the state of Western Australia and covers an area of 83 km2 where the water is approximately 400 m deep. 

The block is situated northwest of large gas reserves that have been discovered, including the Ichthys gas-condensate field as well as the Prelude and Concerto gas fields.