Having Very Large Gas Potential, RI Is Still Hampered By Infrastructure

Natural gas (intermediate illustration)

JAKARTA - Indonesia is known to have a long-term target or Long Term Plan (LTP) for the oil and gas sector of 1 million barrels of oil per day (BOPD) and 12 million cubic feet per day (bscfd).

Head of SKK Migas Dwi Soetjipto said that for the gas sector, he admitted that he was confident that the target could be achieved.

"The project that we have calculated roughly to pursue 12 cubic bilions looks still very visible. Only infrastructure," said Dwi in his remarks at the 22nd anniversary of Managing Upstream Oil and Gas, Tuesday, July 16.

Dwi said, the increase in gas production has not been balanced with the availability of gas infrastructure, as a result, in East Java there is an excess of gas reaching 150 MMSCFD which cannot be produced because nothing absorbs it, the same thing also happened in Natuna.

He added that currently the Government has paid attention to the construction of gas infrastructure such as the Dumai-Sei Mangke gas pipeline project and the completion of the Cisem II pipeline project.

"If Sumatra, Java and Bali are already connected to gas infrastructure, then the existing gas potential can be further optimized, and the needs of the gas user industry can be met," said Dwi.

Dwi further added that the CIsem II project will be completed by the end of 2025. He also hopes that the development of this pipeline infrastructure will not run well so that it becomes the backbone of gas availability for people in Java and Sumatra.

"They will be the bigbone from Aceh and Java and maybe later on Bali and Nusa Tenggara," concluded Dwi.