Repsol Revokes From Andaman Block III, Minister Of Energy And Mineral Resources: There Are New Investors

Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources Arifin Tasrif. (Photo: Maria Trisnawati/VOI)

JAKARTA - Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources (ESDM) Arifin Tasrif said his party was looking for new investors to work on Block Andaman III after Repsol left in 2023.

"It wants to be released. Later there will be new investors," said Arifin, quoted on Monday, January 8.

Moreover, the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources is also continuing to work on completing the construction of the Dumai-Sei Mangkei gas transmission pipeline to overcome excess gas supply from the Andaman III Block.

"We will have to finish the gas pipe from Sei Mangkei to Dumai," continued Arifin.

The construction of natural gas pipeline transmission is part of the National Strategic Project (PSN) mandated in Presidential Regulation Number 109 of 2020 concerning the Third Amendment to Presidential Regulation Number 3 of 2016 concerning the Acceleration of PSN Implementation.

Arifin Tasrif revealed that the government is targeting the Dumai-Sei Mangkei natural gas pipeline project along 400 KM to be completed in 2027.

"This year we have started, 2027 we have to finish Dumai-Sei Mangkei another 400 km. So later if there is gas that is not only for fertilizer and petrochemicals in Lhokseumawe, we will also pull it down, but if 11 TCFs are big, we have to build again LNG there," explained Arifin.

The total budget that will be used for the construction of the Dumai-Sei Mangke gas pipeline is IDR 6.6 trillion, and will distribute natural gas potential from the Great and Andaman Working Areas (WK) in Aceh to be utilized in Java and Sumatra.

Furthermore, Arifin said, if the Dumai-Sei Mangke gas pipeline project has been completed, the natural gas pipeline network will be connected from Aceh to East Java. Along with the completion of the Cirebon-Semarang (Cisem) Phase I natural gas pipeline which has been completed in 2023 and the Cisem Phase II natural gas pipeline which is scheduled to be completed in 2025.