CNOOC struggles to keep Java Sea crude production from declining

Chinese oil firm CNOOC is aiming to keep oil production from its offshore South East Sumatra (SES) Block offshore West Java at around 65,000 barrels per day despite the fields? natural decline, a company official said.

?SES? main oilfields Cinta and Widuri are already 30 years old and are steadily declining. CNOOC will embark on the development of marginal fields to replace the decline from Cinta and Widuri,? CNOOC Indonesia senior official Sugiarto told Petromindo.Com on Friday.

Sugiarto said SES has several marginal fields, which typically have 5 million barrels of recoverable oil. ?We hope to keep production steady for several years to come with productyion addition from the marginal fields,? he said.

He said current production rate from SES was 30 percent down from around 90,000 barrels per day two years ago.

Beside crude production, CNOOC is also developing Zelda and Banuwati gas fields, which will supply gas to state electricity, firm PLN?s proposed 750 MW power plant in Cilegon starting next year.

CNOOC is the operator in SES Block with 65.54 percent working interest. Inpex has 13.07 percent working interest with Mitsubishi, KNOC, paladin resources and Interra hold the remaining balance. (alex)