Inpex has kicked off pre-front end engineering and design (pre-FEED) work for its Bonaparte carbon capture and storage (CCS) project offshore northern Australia, targeting first CO2 injection around 2030.
The move follows the completion of a major engineering concept selection and a detailed appraisal program, which included 1800 square kilometers of 3D seismic surveys and drilling two appraisal wells.
Inpex confirmed the presence of a high-quality saline aquifer reservoir in the Bonaparte basin, capped by thick sealing formations — ideal conditions for safe, permanent CO2 storage.
The Bonaparte CCS joint venture, formed in 2022, is led by Inpex (53%) alongside TotalEnergies (26%) and Woodside Energy (21%).
Together, they aim to develop a facility capable of permanently storing more than 10 million metric tons of CO2 annually.
Currently, the partnership is analyzing appraisal data to support a declaration of identified greenhouse gas storage formation, a key step toward securing a greenhouse gas injection license.
Anchored by Inpex’s Ichthys LNG project, the Bonaparte CCS development is positioned to play a major role in decarbonizing northern Australia and the wider Asia-Pacific region.
Captured carbon emissions will be transported roughly 260 kilometers offshore Darwin for injection into the Bonaparte basin.
Inpex also envisions the future Darwin CCS Hub — planned for the Middle Arm peninsula — as a central infrastructure point for aggregating carbon dioxide from multiple emitters.
The hub could include facilities for importing CO2 from international sources, streamlining its transfer to the offshore storage site.
Read more: Inpex Enters European CCS Market By Joining Norway’s Trudvang Project
