Fugro lands work on Inpex’s LNG project

INPEX Masela, a subsidiary of Japan’s energy company Inpex Corporation, has awarded a marine survey contract to the Dutch geo-data specialist Fugro for a liquefied natural gas (LNG) project in Indonesia.

With the latest contract win, Fugro continues its revenue growth streak – up by 27.5% in 2023 compared to 2022 driven by high client demand in the offshore wind and oil & gas markets – in 2024 as well. The company will perform geophysical and geotechnical surveys needed to support front-end engineering design for offshore production facilities, the submarine pipeline to the onshore LNG terminal, and CO2 injection infrastructure.

As fieldwork is slated to begin in the second quarter of 2024, geo-data will be obtained using the Dutch player’s deepwater autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) Echo Surveyor 8 and a robotic seafloor drill, deployed from Indonesian support vessels. The Abadi LNG project is based on an onshore LNG development scheme that Inpex is developing in partnership with PT Pertamina Hulu Energi Masela and Petronas Masela Sdn Bhd in the Masela block.

“We are pleased to once again support Inpex, a company that understands the value provided by our Geo-data expertise. This is particularly valid for the development of Abadi LNG project, where overcoming engineering challenges including slope stability, regional seismicity, subsea faulting and carbonate sediments will require a collaborative and informed approach. With our expertise and solutions, we will be able to contribute to energy security in the region,” outlined Mark Heine, CEO of Fugro.

Inpex submitted its revised development plan for the Abadi LNG project to Indonesian authorities in April 2023, which was updated to include a carbon capture and storage (CCS) component to the existing development to neutralize all carbon dioxide (CO2) emitted from natural gas production at the Abadi gas field. The authorities approved the revised plan eight months later, in December 2023.

The project’s annual LNG production is expected to reach 9.5 million tons, which is more than 10% of Japan’s current annual LNG imports, contributing to the improvement of energy security in Indonesia, Japan, and other Asian countries while helping achieve Indonesia’s goal of reaching net zero CO2 emissions by 2060.