Geomarin III finds oil, gas potential in Arafura Sea, plans survey in Flores Sea
Wednesday, September 27 2017 - 01:44 PM WIB
The Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources said that the Geomarin III vessel had on September 20 concluded research on oil and gas potential at the Arafura Sea in Papua Province.
The ministry said in a statement Wednesday that results of the research, which started on August 21, show oil and gas potential in Arafura Sea.
The eight-year old Geomarin III is a multi-function vessel owned by the Marine Geology Research and Development Center (P3GL) of the ministry?s Research and Development Agency. The sedimentary basin survey in the Arafura Sea will help the government in determining oil and gas working areas.
?Preliminary results show oil and gas potential in the waters of Arafura,? said Head of P3GL Ediar Usman in the statement.
He said that in Arafura Sea, Geomarin III, operated by P3GL, conducted 1,300-km seismic survey, and gravity meter and geomagnetic surveys of each 1,700 km.
?Interpretation of gravity meter and geomagnetic shows evidence of the existence of basin, namely the Akimegah Basin, which thickens toward the shore of Papua in the north and is estimated to have oil and gas prospect toward the shore,? Ediar said.
He said that the results of the survey will be presented in a report along with the map and the seismic recording.
Ediar said that on September 24-October 7, 2017, Geomarin III vessel will carry out temperature sample survey in the Flores Sea, north of Lembata Island, East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) Province.
The result of the survey will be used as a basis to determine investment in energy electricity produced from ocean thermal energy conversion (OTEC). Indonesia holds the largest OTEC potential in the world at 240 GW.
The OTEC potential is scattered in the west coast of Sumatra, south of Java, Sulawesi, North Maluku, Bali, and NTT. ?P3GL has studied OTEC potential in 17 locations totaling 41 GW,? Ediar said.
He said that the OTEC potential research activity in Lembata waters will cover an area of 2,200 nautical miles.
Prior to carrying out survey in Arafura Sea, Geomarin III had conducted survey in north sea of Bali on April 26-19 May, 2017, the results of which show biogenic gas potential.
P3GL has recommended for carrying out research in ten basins namely Sibolga, Central Sumatra, South Sumatra, northern West Java, northern East Java, Barito, Kutai, Tarakan, Sengkang and Waipoga basins.
Editing by Reiner Simanjuntak