Drafting of gas balance completed: Purnomo

Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources Purnomo Yusgiantoro said that the drafting of the gas balance which would provide reliable data on supply and demand of natural gas in certain areas have been completed, Suara Karya reported Tuesday.

Speaking in Jakarta Monday, Purnomo said that the gas balance would provide gas potential and demand in provinces of North Sumatra, central part of Sumatra, South Sumatra, West Java, East Java, East Kalimantan and eastern Indonesia.

"The gas balance will be first discussed during an upcoming cabinet meeting before being released," he told reporters. According to the minister, the data in the gas balance will be used whether or not the government would continue with its LNG export program and with the development of gas pipeline linking East Kalimantan and Central Java.

The minister said that the government had yet to decide whether or not the government would go ahead with the LNG export plan particularly from East Kalimantan because Chevron as one of the main gas producers in the province had not yet reported its gas potential.

"We have data only from Total and Vico. Based on the data from the two companies, the potential gas production from the province will not be enough to meet LNG export commitment to Japan," he said. (*)