ExxonMobil delays re-operation of gas fields for another one month

State oil and gas company Pertamina and its production sharing contractor ExxonMobil Indonesia have delayed the re-operation of gas fields in Arun, Aceh for another one month as the security situation the troubled province remains uncertain, Bisnis Indonesia reported on Friday.

Pertamina president Baihaki Hakim said in Jakarta on Thursday that the re-operation of the gas fields would be carried out in July instead of June as initially planned.

Baihaki said that the East Kalimantan-bsaed Bontang LNG plant would continue to fulfill the liquefied natural gas (LNG) export commitment of the Arun LNG Plant to its Japanese and South Korean buyers.

"We cannot force ExxonMobil to resume its operation in June. We will continue to use the excess in the production of the Bontang LNG plant to fulfill the export commitment of the Arun plant. As a consequence we have to delay the routine overhaul of the Bontang plant," he was quoted as saying after the official opening of Malaysian petroleum oil company Petronas' Indoensian office.

Baihaki said that the Bontang plant's excess production would be still enough to meet the Arun plant's export commitment for July because orders from the Arun plant's buyers were lower than originally estimated.

Pertamina earlier said that the Bontang plant's excess in production would be enough to meet Arun's LNG export commitment until June.

The American oil and gas giant ExxonMobil Indonesia closed the operation of its gas fields in Arun due to security reasons. As the consequence, several companies, including the Arun LNG plant, which relied on gas supply from the company, was also forced to shut down their operation.(*)