Australian regulator sues Japan's Inpex over Ichthys LNG emissions breaches

The Northern Territory Environment Protection Authority has charged Inpex with under-reporting emissions from its Ichthys LNG plant near Darwin between 2019 and 2024.

The environmental ​regulator in Australia's Northern Territory ‌charged ​Japanese energy giant Inpex in court on Wednesday with under-reporting emissions from its Ichthys liquefied natural ‌gas (LNG) plant near Darwin.

The charges cover alleged licence breaches, such as the under-reporting of benzene and toluene emissions between 2019 and 2024, the Northern Territory Environment ‌Protection Authority said. It gave no further details, saying the matter was in ‌court. Inpex did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The charges follow an October disclosure by Inpex of significant under-reporting of emissions at the plant, which prompted a ⁠regulatory review ​of operations ⁠at the facilities of both Ichthys LNG and Santos' Darwin LNG. The environmental licence from the ⁠regulator requires regular annual reports from Inpex on total air emissions.

The review made ​23 recommendations, endorsed by the regulator in July, for tougher rules ⁠at both LNG facilities, such as installment of continuous emissions monitoring equipment at major emission ⁠sources. The ​regulator will draft amendments to existing licences this month reflecting the changes.

Climate group Environment Centre NT called the decision to charge Inpex ⁠a "massive win for Darwin residents". "Finally, we see INPEX being held accountable for ⁠massively underreporting the ⁠amount of toxic pollution it's pumping into Darwin's air," said Bree Ahrens, one of the group's activists.