Inpex’s Ichthys – Community Engagement for a Mega Project
Three mega-projects rolled into one
Located about 220 kilometres offshore Western Australia, Ichthys represents the largest discovery of hydrocarbon liquids in Australia in 40 years.
The Ichthys LNG Project is currently in construction and is ranked among the most significant oil and gas projects in the world. The project is effectively three mega-projects rolled into one, involving some of the largest offshore facilities in the industry, a state-of-the-art onshore processing facility and an 890 km pipeline uniting them for an operational life of at least 40 years.
A Final Investment Decision for the Ichthys LNG Project was reached in 2012 and first production is scheduled to commence towards the end of September 2017. Inpex is the operator of the project.
Ichthys major facilities are shown below. Photo credit: Inpex
By end of 2016 the project has reached the following milestones:
- Project 87% completed
- More than 3500 locals working on the Project
- More than 1000 local businesses awarded contracts
- Preparing for 40 years of operations
Eight Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders peoples embarking new career pathways with the Ichthys LNG Project. Source: Inpex
Community Engagement on Ichthys
Community engagement activities to support the project to date have been undertaken in a range of channels:
- Community feedback tool: 1800 feedback line (inpex managed), 1300 feedback line (JKC managed), dedicated email address and in-person – Nearly 1300 enquiries received in the first half of 2016.
- Stakeholder information sessions and updates
- Community information stands
- Open forums with the local communities in Darwin and Palmerston, industry forums
- Interviews, meetings, and discussions with government agencies, local councils, traditional owners, business groups, training and education providers, interested groups, media, and local community members
- Sponsorship events
- Construction Employment Mobilisation Centre shopfront in Darwin CBD
- Ichthys LNG Project jobs website
- Project update newsletters and bulletins
Inpex sponsoring the nation-wide challenge, a collaborative project managed by Engineers Australia Northern Division and supported by Charles Darwin University. Source: Inpex
Using Stakeholder CRM to manage all engagement activities
Darzin stakeholder CRM was implemented for Ichthys in 2016 as a centre point to capture all stakeholder details and community engagement activities for the project. All historical data collected from the Planning phase was imported into Darzin so the team can track the whole history of interactions with key stakeholders and build on existing information and knowledge.
Inpex’s involvement in community events. Source: Inpex
Interested to know more about how to manage community consultation on mega projects? Read the Melbourne Metro Tunnel case study and our article on tips for effective stakeholder engagement on mega projects.
