A new history has been made in oil exploration in Indonesia just a week prior to the nation’s Independence Day.
At 12:01 a.m. Western Indonesia Time (UTC +7) on Monday (August 9, 2021), Rokan Block in Riau province was officially handed over by PT Chevron Pacific Indonesia to PT Pertamina Hulu Rokan, a subsidiary of state-owned oil company PT Pertamina.
This historic exchange indicates that Indonesia is in complete control of one of the most productive oil fields in the country, operated by US company Chevron for the past 97 years.
Welcoming the start of Indonesian operatorship of the Rokan Block, Pertamina CEO Nicke Widyawati declared the handover a gift for the country, just a week before the 76th anniversary of its Independence Day.
“On this night, exactly at 12 a.m. Western Indonesia Time, August 9, we witness a historic moment in the exact month of our country’s Independence day anniversary,” Widyawati remarked. A transitional team has been formed to oversee daily activities at the newly acquired block, he informed.
The transitional team will oversee subsurface and production operations, project and facility engineering, HCE operations, as well as human resources, financial and commercial aspects, supply chain management, and IT aspects essential for daily activities of oil exploration in the block, he said.
From 1951 until 2021, more than 11 billion barrels of oil have been produced in the Rokan Block, with average daily output pegged at 160.5 thousand barrels as of July 2021, equivalent to 24 percent of the national oil production, he added. Besides oil, around 41 million standard cubic feet per day of natural gas has also been produced at the same block, he continued.
Pertamina plans to drill 161 new oil wells by the end of 2021 and 500 new wells in 2022, Widyawati said. The exploration of new wells is supported by 16 drilling rigs, with 29 additional rigs used for workover and well services, mirroring the prior contract, he added.
Rokan Block, which spans 6,453 square kilometers, has ten main fields — Minas, Duri, Bangko, Bekasap, Balam South, Kotabatak, Petani, Pematang, Petapahan, and Pager.
Source: Antara News