Exspan's crude production increases sharply

Oil firm PT Exspan Nusantara has recently managed to boost the crude oil production of its operation in Tarakan, East Kalimantan, to 7,500 barrels per day from around 5,000 bpd, the local Kaltim Post daily said on Tuesday.

The paper quoted Exspan president John Karamoy as saying that jump in the crude production was a magnificent achievement considering the fact that out of the 1,497 drilled wells in the area, only 137 could produce.

He added that boosting the crude production from 2,229 bpd to more than 5,000 bpd was quite an achievement because many of the wells are located in the area, which was part of the town expansion.

The paper did not provide other figures nor details. But it said that the Tarakan operation in the Sangasanga area was acquired from the state-owned oil and gas firm Pertamina in 1992. At the time, the crude production was at around 5,000 bpd, but it continued to decline to around 2,229 bpd last year, a level which was not longer reasonable for the oil operation.

Meanwhile, Exspan management promised its 268 employees to provide them with bonus following the success in boosting the crude production.(*)