KESDM Approves Joint Study Area Buton To Pertamina, Petrochina And Petronas

JAKARTA - The Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources (ESDM) approved the joint study area (JSA) of Buton to 3 oil and gas companies, including Pertamina, Petrochina and Petronas.

Plt. Director General of Oil and Gas Dadan Kusdiana said the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources would accelerate the implementation of these activities. This is the government's effort to increase oil production from the offshore field of Buton Regency, Southeast Sulawesi, with a total initial potential of more than 1 billion barrels of oil.

"The Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources through the Directorate General of Oil and Gas has approved the implementation of the Joint Study Area Buton to Pertamina, Petrochina, and Petronas. The effort we are currently doing is to accelerate the completion of the Joint Study, so that later the area can be immediately directed offer and developed," said Dadan in Jakarta, Tuesday, July 23.

Previously, Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources Arifin Tasrif said Indonesia still has oil potential that can be developed to support national energy security. One of the prospective oil fields is located in Buton, Southeast Sulawesi which is owned by Pertamina and has the potential of up to 5 billion barrels of oil.

"One more prospect is in Buton, Pertamina's Southeast Sulawesi offshore, when we made geoseismics in early 2019-2020, one of which was to find the mappings," said Arifin when met by media crews at the Directorate General of Oil and Gas Building, quoted on Saturday, April 20.

Arifin said that his party had encouraged Pertamina to immediately develop the oil and gas block because it contained heavy oil.

"The oil is heavy, but the amount is large, the potential can be 5 billion barrels, but if it can be taken 20 percent, it's 1 billion barrels. We will encourage this to be accelerated," said Arifin.