ExxonMobil?s gas production still far from normal level

Production activities at PT ExxonMobil Indonesia?s gas fields in the troubled province of Aceh are continuing despite concerns over the security situation in the province, Jakarta-based daily Suara Karya reported on Tuesday.

But the company?s spokesperson Julia Tumengkol said in Jakarta on Monday that the gas production was still far below the normal level.

She said that the production which was resumed on Wednesday last week after being closed for almost five months had reached 200 million cubic feet per day.

According to her, the current production level was still far below the 1.6 billion cubic feet daily recorded before the closure in March.

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

Abubakar Sidick Nitikusumah, the general manager of Pertamina?s directorate for Production Sharing Management, hoped that the Arun LNG plant would be able to resume its LNG exports to its main buyers Japan and South Korea in August.

Both Japan and South Korea received its LNG supply from Pertamina?s LNG plant in Bontang, East Kalimantan when the Arun LNG closed its operation. (*)