PHM Optimistic Of Oil And Gas Potential In South Mahakam Field

Illustration. (Photo: Doc. Antara)

PT Pertamina Hulu Mahakam (PHM) is optimistic that there will be potential oil and gas in South Mahakam Field following the findings of gas and condensates in the Adiwarna-1x exploration well in the Mahakam Working Area (WK).

"The findings are the next hydrocarbon backup play opener (entrance)," said President Director of PT Pertamina Hulu Indonesia (PHI) John Anis in Balikpapan, East Kalimantan, quoted from Antara, Friday, July 7.

This finding is the second time for PHM after previously successfully finding oil and gas in the Manpatu-1X exploration well in early 2022.

John Anis, who was also part of PHM's management, added that engineers at PHM are currently calculating the potential that exists in the earth's stomach in the Adiwarna-1x well.

South Mahakam Square is located in the Makassar Strait off the coast of Balikpapan. The first finding of PHM, or at that time it was still a Total Indonesia, was the Jempang-Mebones gas field, exactly 60 minutes with a sea truck boat from the Teluk Balikpapan estuary to the east.

Currently, gas from Jempang-Mebone is flowed using an underwater pipe to a gas treatment facility in Sempah, Samboja, 50 kilometers north of Balikpapan.

However, those who are very experienced in exploring the waters in front of the City of Oil are Unocal, an oil and gas company from the United States, which Chevron later acquired, another oil and gas company from the United States.

Chevron has inherited the management of wells in Sepinggan Square.

"The success of these two exploration wells is to encourage our enthusiasm to continue drilling oil and gas wells which are important for the sustainability of field production in Mahakam WK," said Acting General Manager of PHM, Ferico Afrinas.

John Anis also added that the discovery of gas from the Adiwarna-1x exploration well is one of the company's strategies.

Especially in increasing reserves and maintaining oil and gas production through exploration and development drilling activities (exploitation).

"We really need to be in the form of aggressive exploration activities to find new resources with a new concept and optimize those that have," said John Anis.

PHI produces hundreds of millions of standard cubic feet of gas per day, thus strengthening it as the top ten gas producers in Indonesia. PHI gas production has even reached nearly one billion standard cubic feet of gas per day in 2018.