Pertamina Will Return Management of East Natuna Block to Government

Director General of Oil and Gas at the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources Tutuka Ariadji. (Photo: VOI/Mery Handayani)

BALI - PT Pertamina (Persero) plans to hand over the management of the East Natuna Block to the government. In fact, previously this state-owned oil and gas company was given a special assignment to develop the block.

Director General of Oil and Gas at the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources, Tutuka Ariadji, revealed that Pertamina had reported the plan to return the block to the government.

Thus, after being held by the government, the auction will be held again. Meanwhile, this Natuna block was previously named Natuna D-Alpha.

"We will process first that there was an assignment to Pertamina. We will return it to the state, then we will open an open tender for D-Alpha. We will try to divide the three East Natunas", said Tutuka in Nusa Dua Bali, Thursday, November 24.

The process of returning the East Natuna Block from Pertamina, said Tutuka, is targeted to be completed this year. So that early next year the block can be scheduled for auction.

"We have tried the process this year. We don't know about the auction announcement later, but we are currently processing it. Because if it can be completed this year, we can immediately announce the auction early next year", he explained.

For your information, based on records from the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources (ESDM), the East Natuna Block contains an Initial Gas in Place (IGIP) volume or on-site gas volume of up to 222 trillion cubic feet (tcf) and reserves of 46 tcf.