ConocoPhillips to shut down giant gas block for maintenance

Indonesian unit of US oil, gas firm ConocoPhillips will temporarily shut down gas production at Corridor Block PSC in South Sumatra from May 23 through May 25 for maintenance, an official at upstream oil, gas authority BPMIGAS said on Friday.

Spokesperson Sulistya Wahyu said the shutdown will cause stoppage of some 700MMCFD of gas supply from Suban field, which supplies Chevron?s steam flood operations in Central Sumatra and customers in the industrial island of Batam and Singapore.

Sulistya said Chevron will still receive 200MMCFD of gas during the maintenance, sourced from smaller fields in the block such as Sumpal, Dayung, Gelam and Geger Kalong. Normally, Chevron receives 400MMCFD of gas from Corridor block, he said.

Gas from Corridor block is delivered through pipeline network operated by state gas distribution firm PT Perusahaan Gas Negara (PGN).

PGN Corporate secretary M. Wahid Sutopo said that PGN had notified its customers, which include Batam unit of state electricity firm PT Perusahaan Listrik Negera, about the planned maintenance. (godang/bernard)