Indonesian delegation to visit Japan, Korea for talks with LNG buyers

An Indonesian delegation will leave for Japan and South Korea on Nov 20 to hold talks with liquefied natural gas (LNG) buyers from those countries, a government official told Petromindo.com over the weekend.

Delegation members will be senior officials of BP-Migas and state oil and gas firm Pertamina, said BP-Migas deputy chairman Trijana Kartaatmadja. BP-Migas holds the highest authority over Indonesia?s upstream oil and gas sector.

?The delegation?s visit aims to strengthen relationships with LNG buyers. There could be negotiations with them during the visit,? Trijana said. He declined to provide details however.

Japan and South Korea are major importers of Indonesian LNG.

Reports said the government was studying the request from Japan and Korea buyers that the price of liquefied natural gas (LNG) sold to them be reduced to the level for the supply to China.

Japanese buyers were those whose LNG supply contracts with Indonesia will expire in 2004, and that they included Tohoku and Tepco, a government official was quoted as saying.

Indonesia and China signed in September an agreement to supply 2.6 million metric tons per year of LNG to Fujian province over a 25-year period. (godang)