Issuance of new oil and gas regulations may be delayed again

The government is unlikely to meet its target to issue the long-waited regulations on the country's oil and gas upstream and downstream activities early this year, Koran Tempo reported on Friday.

Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources Purnomo Yusgiantoro said in Jakarta on Thursday that the issuance of the new regulations might be delayed again because there was a bureaucratic problem at the State Secretary.

"I have already signed the proposed regulations. Perhaps, the State Secretary has another consideration," he said.

The two new regulations which were initially expected to be issued in November last year are part of that regulations that will implement the new oil and gas law, which aims to liberalize the nation's oil and gas sector. (*)