Synergy Between The Government And Pertamina Gas Subholding To Optimize Natural Gas In The Energy Transition Period

Photo: Doc. PGN

JAKARTA - The important role of natural gas in the energy transition period strengthens the commitment of PT PGN Tbk as Pertamina Gas Subholding in the sustainable utilization of natural gas. In particular, contributing to the government's roadmap related to energy transition and emission reduction of 1,526 million tons of CO2 by 2060.

Director General of Oil and Gas at the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources, Tutuka Ariadji, said that in the future the use of fossil fuels will continue to be used. However, it will be balanced by the existence of various new renewable energies that are cleaner and environmentally friendly.

For natural gas, the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources targets to increase natural gas production by 12 bscfd by 2030. In the future, natural gas will be used as transitional energy before 100 percent EBT and domestic energy fulfillment for power generation, transportation, industry, and households.

"Here, gas gas will be expanded in the future, it is hoped that there will be a PPP and private gas gas funding scheme so that the target of 1 million gas gas per year can be approved by the Ministry of Finance," said Tutuka at the 2022 Gasfest Conference which was held virtually, quoted Tuesday, May 31.

In addition to gas, CNG will also be increased in which Semarang will be used as a pilot. If it can be an interesting example, it will be carried out in other areas.

"What we need to do to be able to serve the community and be easily accessible is infrastructure development. In Eastern Indonesia there will be a lot of infrastructure development such as FSRU for LNG and conversion of fuel to gas at power plants, also the construction of the Cisem Pipeline will start from Semarang to Batang," explained Tutuka.

"In the future, gas will be oriented to become industrial petrochemicals. Almost 80% of these products are imported, a small example is the raw material for the drug paracetamol, which is still imported at 340 million US dollars a year. It is a gas derivative product," added the Chairman of Commission VII DPR RI Sugeng Suparwoto.

PGN's Director of Infrastructure and Technology, Achmad Muchtasyar. said, natural gas in the future transition period will not only be used as fuel so that it will be much more sustainable. Therefore, PGN is developing infrastructure such as gasification at PLN's power plants according to the Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources Decree No. 2/2022, refineries, and industrial areas so that they will have a positive impact on the national economy at a macro level.

The hope is that PGN can become an integrated gas manager in the future. So PGN will focus on optimizing stranded gas, beyond the pipeline both LNG and CNG, LNG trading, and mini liquefaction as an integrated form of infrastructure.

"PGN's natural gas infrastructure development gets great support from the government. Based on this support, natural gas has an important role in the transition period until 2050 as one of the national energy buffer reserves. This can encourage the growth of the Subholding Gas Group's commercial management," concluded Achmad .