Govt to form new agency to coordinate overseas LNG sales

The government has planned to form a special body to coordinate the overseas marketing of Indonesia?s liquefied natural gas (LNG), which aims to minimize uncontrollable competition among gas producers from the country, Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources Purnomo Yusgiantoro said on Thursday.

Purnomo said the new agency would not be part of state oil and gas firm Pertamina.

Pertamina leaders admitted the importance of the government maintaining its authority to coordinating the marketing of Indonesian LNG in foreign countries. But they had expected that it oversee the coordination of gas sales in foreign markets.

?There needs to be some coordination for the marketing of our LNG,? Purnomo told a news conference.

Indonesia is the world?s largest LNG producer, selling the commodity to Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan. (alex)