Government to offer 14 oil and gas working areas to investors

As part of efforts to increase the country?s oil and gas reserves and production, the government plans to offer 14 oil and gas working areas to investors, to be unveiled at an upcoming 2016 Indonesia Petroleum Association (IPA) conference in May.

The 14 working areas comprise of 11 conventional oil and gas working areas, and three non-conventional areas, the Directorate General of Oil and Gas at the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources said in a statement Friday.

The statement said that the four of the conventional working areas will be offered via regular tender, and seven via direct offer (direct proposal).

Conventional working areas to be offered via regular tender mechanism include South CPP, Suramana I, South East Mandar and North Arguni. Meanwhile, working areas to be offered via direct proposal mechanism include Bukit Barat, Bukit Gajah Dua, Kasongan, Ampuh, Ebuny, Onin dan West Kaimana.

Director General of Oil and Gas IGN Wiratmaja Puja said that access to documents under the director offer mechanism will be opened on June 1-22, with deadline to submit the documents set for July 25. Meanwhile, access to documents for the regular tender mechanism will be opened on June 1-October 5, with deadline to submit the documents for participation in the tender set on October 7.

Meanwhile, non-conventional working areas to be offered to investors include Batu Ampar oil and gas area, Bungamas coal bed methane, and Raja coal bed methane. The statement said that in addition, there will be singing of production sharing contract for the Central Bangkanai oil and gas non-conventional area.

Editing by Reiner Simanjuntak