Australian regulator sues Japan’s Inpex over Ichthys LNG emissions breaches
The charges cover alleged license breaches, such as the under-reporting of benzene and toluene emissions between 2019 and 2024.
Sydney – The Northern Territory environmental regulator has filed charges against Japanese energy company Inpex in court, alleging the corporation under-reported emissions from its Ichthys liquefied natural gas (LNG) facility near Darwin. The charges pertain to potential breaches of licensing regulations, specifically the under-reporting of benzene and toluene emissions between 2019 and 2024.
The Northern Territory Environment Protection Authority declined to provide further details, stating the matter is currently under court proceedings. Inpex has yet to comment on the charges following their disclosure in October, which led to a regulatory review of operations at both Ichthys LNG and Santos’ Darwin LNG facilities.
The environmental license mandates Inpex to submit annual reports on total air emissions, a requirement that triggered the regulatory review in July. This review resulted in 23 recommendations, endorsed by the regulator, advocating for stricter measures at the LNG facilities, including the installation of continuous emissions monitoring equipment at key emission sources.
The regulator will draft amendments to the existing licenses this month to incorporate these changes. Environment Centre NT, a climate-focused organization, hailed the decision to charge Inpex as a "massive win for Darwin residents," stating, "Finally, we see INPEX being held accountable for massively underreporting the amount of toxic pollution it’s pumping into Darwin’s air."
Written by urgent.news from Japan Times's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
