INPEX General Manager NT Stuart Knowles took part in a panel discussion at Facing North in Canberra where he provided an update and the steps the company is taking to support a cleaner energy future as mapped out in INPEX’s Vision@2022 strategic plan.

“In July, we welcomed INPEX’s announcement to acquire a 50 percent stake in Enel Green Power Australia (EGPA), a subsidiary of Italian utility company Enel SpA.

“This means INPEX will jointly oversee EGPA’s renewable generation portfolio of wind and solar projects in Australia, while continuing to develop the company’s project pipeline.

“The acquisition is very important and exciting for INPEX, firmly setting us on the path to achieving our net zero goals.”

As the business moves towards net zero emissions by 2050, the Territory remains a focal point for INPEX and will play a critical role in the company’s decarbonisation strategy.

Carbon capture and storage (CCS) is a critical way forward for INPEX and a CCS hub in Darwin is being considered with the support of the Australian and Northern Territory governments and CSIRO.

“Simply put, our focus is on decarbonising our Ichthys LNG operations, while establishing the foundations for the next generation of clean fuels including renewable energy,” Stuart says.

“INPEX teams are undertaking ongoing consultation activities in the Top End to support the development of environment plans ahead of appraisal activities in the Bonaparte Basin. As highlighted by the International Energy Agency, CCS is critical to our ability to meet our commitment of achieving net zero carbon emissions by 2050 and to the future of all hard-to-abate industries, such as steel and cement.”

Working with the community

INPEX values building strong relationships within the communities it works alongside and recently undertook a community perception survey, which was led and implemented by independent consultants.

“We received more than 200 responses to our digital survey and around 40 stakeholders from a range of sectors participated in interviews.

“On behalf of INPEX, I’d like to thank everyone who took the time out to provide us with this valuable feedback and we look forward to sharing the results and continuing to improve how we engage with Territorians, based on this feedback.”

Other recent community highlights for the local team included an opportunity to experience the AFL Tiwi Islands grand final, supporting the Darwin to Ambon yacht race, which had seen a three-year hiatus due to covid, presenting an information session at CDU about the INPEX Foundation Scholarship program, facilitating weekly employee engagement at the Michael Long Learning and Leadership Camp awards and sponsoring the NT Indigenous Business Network’s Blak Business awards.

“A key highlight of the dry season calendar for many is the vibrant Darwin Festival and we were once again pleased to partner with the festival team and host our community partners at an incredible show at the INPEX Sunset Stage – this is our way of saying thanks for all their hard work and efforts throughout the year.”