Foreign investors eyeing oil, gas blocks in Papua, S. Sumatra, Natuna

Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources Purnomo Yusgiantoro said on Thursday that a number of foreign oil and gas companies have expressed interest to invest in oil and gas blocks located in Papua, South Sumatra, and Natuna Islands.

But Purnomo said that these particular blocks were outside the 11 oil and gas blocks which have been offered for tender by the government (the deadline to submit bids for these blocks is at two in the afternoon, Thursday).

"There are demands from foreign investors for blocks located in Papua, South Sumatra, and Natuna," he told reporters on the sidelines of a conference.

He said that the government was now trying seek ways to accomodate the demand in such a way that the transaction would still be transparent even though it would not be made via a tender mechanism. He said that there was a possibility that the government would announce the offer through newspapers.(Alex)