Pembangunan Pipa Gas Semarang-Batang Capai 55 Percent, Ditarget Rampung 2023

JAKARTA - The Director General of Oil and Gas at the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources, Tutuka Ariadji, revealed that the construction of the Cirebon-Semarang (Cisem) natural gas transmission pipeline phase I for the Semarang-Batang segment has reached 55 percent and is expected to be completed by 2023.

"Semarang-Batang, hopefully it will be completed next year and now it has reached 55 percent," Tutuka told the media in Jakarta, Thursday, December 8.

He explained that the First Welding (first investigation) for the construction of the Cisem pipeline was carried out on August 6, 2022.

This project is a National Strategic Project (PSN) and part of the transmission pipeline interconnect plan between the transmission pipeline network of Sumatra, West Java and the East Java transmission pipeline network.

This pipeline interconnection strengthens the supply chain of natural gas and can be accessed by the public at affordable prices in a sustainable manner, especially for the needs of the existing industrial sector along pipelines and industrial areas that will soon operate in several areas.

Among other things, the Batang Integrated Industrial Zone, Kendal Special Economic Zone and Wijayakusuma Industrial Estate Semarang in Central Java, as well as other industrial areas that are in the planning process.

"If the Cisem pipeline is completed, then gas from East Java can be sent to West Java. So the problem of connectivity is very important to get energy that is cheap and accessible," added Tutuka.

The construction of the Semarang-Batang section pipeline is carried out by financing through the State Budget for Fiscal Year 2022 and 2023, where the work is carried out for 15 months.

The signing of a development contract worth IDR 1.17 trillion has been implemented on May 17, 2022.

Just so you know, this transmission pipeline has a pipe diameter of 20 inches to transmit natural gas with a capacity of 116-235 MMSCFD along about 62 km from the Semarang ESDM Station in Tambakrejo, via national roads north of Semarang City to the Krapyak toll gate and through the Semarang-Batang toll road, to the Batang ESDM Station.