Govt welcomes Pertamina?s venture in Libya

The government welcomes the Libyan government?s decision to award three oil and gas contracts to state oil and gas company PT Pertamina, while expressing supports for the state owned firm to explore for oil outside the country.

?We are pleased at hearing the news. We fully support Pertamina?s efforts to expand overseas,? Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources Purnomo Yusgiantoro said on Monday.

The Libyan government announced on Monday that Pertamina was among dozens of companies that won oil exploration rights in Libya.

Pertamina won one contract for exploration in the center of the country along with American energy giant ExxonMobil Corp. and Japanese giant Nippon Oil Corp.

It also won two contracts in Sirte along British Petroleum and India?s Oil India, according to news agencies.

Aside from Pertamina, another Indonesian company Medco Energi Intenational also took part in the bidding for the Lybian oil and gas blocks, but Medco?s director Rashjid I Mangoenkusumo admitted that the firm had failed in the bidding. (Godang)