Government to form task force to curb illegal oil drilling

The government is preparing to establish a task force to control illegal oil drilling and regulate unauthorized wells across the country, officials said as quoted by Antara.

Brigadier General Mohammad Irhamni, Director of Certain Crimes at the National Police Criminal Investigation Agency, said the move is driven by rising global oil prices and the need to strengthen domestic oil supply.

The task force will involve the National Police, upstream oil, gas regulator SKK Migas, the Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry, and PT Pertamina (Persero).

It will focus on regulating illegal wells in regions such as Sumatra and Kalimantan to improve resource management.

“The task force will operate in accordance with directives from the leadership, including the ESDM Ministry and SKK Migas, and will coordinate with the National Police chief on when to begin operations,” Irhamni said.

Read also: Govt finalizes regulation on illegal oil wells and idle fields

A focus group discussion has been held to finalize technical and coordination aspects of the initiative.

Meanwhile, Special Staff to the Energy Minister Rudy Sufahriadi said community-managed wells can now be purchased by Pertamina under Ministerial Regulation No. 14/2025, provided there is a cooperation agreement.

He added that companies including PT Medco Energi Internasional Tbk may also be involved in such arrangements.

The policy allows regulated wells to supply oil to Pertamina for up to four years, while prohibiting the development of new wells and focusing on managing existing ones.

Editing by Alexander Ginting