Govt yet to decide right time to buy more LNG: Purnomo

The government has not yet made final decision on when to buy more liquefied natural gas (LNG) from foreign producers to meet its export commitments after channeling its gas supplies to domestic users, Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources Purnomo Yusgiantoro told Petromindo.com Tuesday.

"At the moment, it is not yet necessary for us to buy more LNG from foreign countries. Our buyers do not need the commodity right now," the minister said, adding the government was to hold more discussions about the matter.

Purnomo did not say however whether the government was still able to meet its export commitments or whether LNG buyers had not asked Indonesia to immediately deliver LNG to them.

Last month, Purnomo said Indonesia was seeking to buy LNG from rival producers to meet Aceh-based PT Arun NGL Co to its Japanese and South Korean buyers. The move came after the government asked ExxonMobil, the gas supplier for PT Arun, to sell most of its gas to fertilizer firms PT Pupuk Iskandar Muda and PT ASEAN Aceh Fertilizer

The country had bought one cargo of LNG each from Oman and Algeria and Purnomo said last month that the country is seeking to buy another six cargoes of LNG from rival producers namely Nigeria, Oman, Qatar and Malaysia.

ExxonMobil's gas reserve at its Arun field in the province has been depleted, and this has forced the company to cut supplies to the Aceh fertilizer makers. (Godang)