Govt to offer 19 oil and gas blocks

The government would offer 19 oil and gas blocks through direct appointment system in May this year, a governmental official said on Tuesday.

At the same time, the government will announce the winners of the 10 blocks put on auction last year.

The government initially planned to announce the winners of the 10 blocks and offer the 19 new blocks last year, but it delayed the plan thanks to its plan to review the Ministerial Decree No. 1480/2004 on the Offering Procedure of Oil and Gas Working Areas.

The 19 blocks that will be offered through direct appointment system are located in Sumatra, Java and Kalimantan, while the 10 blocks auctioned last year were located in off the coast of Sulawesi, Java and Natuna islands, downstream development director of the directorate general of oil and gas at the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources Novian M. Thaib said on the sidelines of a seminar on coal bed methane in Jakarta.

He said that the government would officially announce the offer and announce the winners of the tender after finishing the review of the Ministerial Decree No. 1480.

?The review has been finalized but still needs approval from the minister,? he said.

The review would add more details to the decree on several aspects related to the offering of oil and gas blocks, including the points that interested bidders should present in their bids and the assessment of the bids. Production share is however not part of the aspects being reviewed. (Godang)