Blockade at Caltex?s gas plant end after protesters? demand met

Indonesia?s top oil contractor PT. Caltex pacific Indonesia (CPI) said Friday local people that blockaded it gas processing facility in its Bekasap operations in Rokan Hilir, Riau had agreed to disperse after the company bowed to their demand.

?CPI had agreed to repair the 40-km road as demanded by the locals,? said CPI spokesperson Harry Bustaman in a phone interview.

Hundreds of local people who demanded CPI to repair the road forced gas plant workers to stop operating since Monday, costing CPI some 1,800 barrels per day and 7 million standard cubic feet per day of gas in production opportunity.

Harry said CPI was actually conducting routine maintenance for the road, but said the road was damaged because overloaded logging trucks and palm oil trucks are allowed to pass the road.

? We urge the locals to take necessary action to ban the trucks from passing the road, otherwise, it will be damaged again shortly after being repaired,? he said.

CPI, a wholly owned subsidiary of US oil giant Chevron-Texaco produces some 50 percent of Indonesia?s crude production.(godang)