Almost A Year Has Not Been Used, The Rokan Block Oil Pipe Project Is Worth IDR 4.5 Trillion, Endangered And Disrupted

Photo: Doc. Antara

JAKARTA - Executive Director of the Center of Energy and Resources Indonesia (CERI), Yusri Usman, said that the great desire of PT Pertamina Gas (Pertagas) and its investment partners to reap large amounts of money from the Rokan Block oil pipeline project seems to have to be delayed "on stream" for a time that is not easy to predict.

In fact, it is not impossible, PT Pertagas, which is none other than a subsidiary of PT PGN Tbk, has the potential to suffer a huge loss in the investment project for the operation of PT Pertamina Hulu Rokan's 367 km oil pipeline with an investment value of more than IDR 4.5 trillion.

"Because, after several trials of crude oil flowing from February 2022 to December 2022, it turns out that pipeline lines with a diameter of 24 inches often occur congeal, namely thickening oil due to changes in temperature between the temperature in the well and the temperature in the pipe above the ground surface," said Yusri in his statement to the media, Thursday, December 22.

Worse, continued Yusri, the pipe size design error was discovered only recently after the pipe was installed.

"It seems that the consultant who made the Front End Engineering Design (FEED) may not take into account the characteristics of crude oil types in the Wak Migas Block Rokan, or read the results of a case study conducted by PT Chevron Pacific Indonesia (CPI) before," said Yusri Usman.

Yusri said that the EPC contractor installed 367 km of oil pipes with 13 segments by the PT PGN Solution (PGSOL) consortium with PT Pertamina Drilling Contractor (PDC).

"This project includes synergies between SOEs, namely between PT Pertamina Hulu Energi's Sub Holding Upstream (SHU) and PT PGN Tbk's Gas Sub Holding. CERI has long criticized that the synergy project between PT Pertamina's subsidiaries pioneered by the HR & Business Supporting Director of PT PHE Oto Gurnita, is potentially inefficiency and problematic," said Yusri.

However, based on information obtained by CERI, said Yusri, the efforts made by the engineering team in the field are currently limited to moving the position of the pipe in the swamp to the ground surface and adding booster pumps.

"It seems that this effort will be in vain and will not solve much of the problem, instead increasing pressure at several collection stations (gathering stations)", said Yusri.

Yusri then explained, according to the CERI counterpart who had worked for a long time at CPI, what had been done would be in vain and useless, because the "congeal prevention" or "congeal mitigation plan" had not been installed along the pipe.

"He said he had concrete solutions to overcome it and to be able to solve the problem completely," said Yusri.

Furthermore, regarding the pipeline project, according to Yusri, since the beginning of the mitigation work started or first welding on September 13, 2020, the Board of Directors of PT PGN Tbk at that time was still held by Suko Hartono, once boasted to the media that PT Pertagas led by Wiko Migantoro managed to save its investment of up to 150 million US dollars from the initial planning value of 450 million US dollars which until the final investment decision or FID (Final Investment Decision) became only 300 million US dollars.

"Not only that, they were also very confident at that time that the northern route from Bangko - Balam - Dumai could be used by PHR by the end of 2021, while the southern route from Minas-Duri-Dumai could already be used in early 2022," said Yusri again.

Still according to Yusri, the statement turned out to be different from the fact.

"After the crowded term Rokan block pipe stalled by M Nasir when the RDP took place between Commission VII DPR and PT Pertamina Hulu Energi on November 9, 2022, PT Pertamina Hulu Rokan seemed under pressure to sign a commercial contract with PT Pertagas on November 18, 2022," said Yusri.

Even though it has signed a commercial contract, and boasts according to the statement of the President Director of PT PHE Wiko Migantoro on November 9, 2022, that in December 2022 the use of the pipe will be inaugurated, but until December 22, 2022 there is no sign that the commercial will start.

"So we are increasingly hesitant about the promise," said Yusri.

According to Yusri, the president director of Pertagas Gamal Imam Santoso, he was silent, after being confirmed by CERI with 7 questions since December 14, 2022, until this news was revealed.

"The confirmation letter was not only addressed to the President Director of Pertagas, but the letter was also copied to the President Director of PT PGN TBK and the President Director of PT PHE and the President Director of PT PHR. Even though the time limit for answering CERI's question was on December 21, 2022, PGN President Director Haryo Yunianto responded earlier to the CERI letter, saying he promised to escort CERI's letter to PT Pertagas, an attitude of responsibility as a leader that other SOE directors should imitate," said Yusri.

More importantly, said Yusri, considering that the oil depletion of WK Migas in the Rokan Block was built to replace the function of the old oil pipeline that had been used by PT CPI and PT PHR after the transfer of management on August 9, 2021 until now, because the pipe lifespan is more than 50 years old, if this pipe commercial is problematic, it has the potential to disrupt oil lifting from the Rokan Block.

"So, if the problem of this pipe cannot be resolved by PT Pertagas until the end of this year, then the appointment of Wiko Migantoro as President Director of PT PHE is a fatal error of the Board of Directors of PT Pertamina (Persero) holding in promoting the promotion of his position. Because when the design project begins until the profiting work is completed by the end of 2021, Wiko is the President Director of Pertagas," concluded Yusri.