Jangkrik FPU capacity can be expanded to 600 mmscfd

Production capacity of the Jangkrik floating production unit (FPU), which processes gas from the Jangkrik and Jangkrik North East fields in Muara Bakau block, East Kalimantan, can be expanded beyond its designed capacity of 450 mmscfd with additional gas output from nearby fields, according to Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources Ignasius Jonan.

Jonan said in a statement on Sunday following a visit to the Jangkrik FPU that capacity can be increased up to 600 mmscfd with additional gas output from Merakes field in the East Sepinggan block

?The capacity can be further adjusted to 600 mmscfd with additional gas from Merakes field in East Sepinggan block,? Jonan said in a statement.

Both the Muara Bakau and East Sepinggan blocks are operated by Italian firm Eni. The Jangkrik FPU, also operated by Eni, started gas production in May with current output now running at 120-130 mmscfd, Jonan said.

Jonan said that gas output from the Jangkrik FPU will help compensate the expected decline in the gas output from the Mahakam block, whose operatorship will be transferred to state-owned oil and gas firm PT Pertamina after the current contract of Total expires at the end of this year.

The statement also said that Eni has proposed for the Jangkrik FPU to also process gas from the nearby Gendalo and Gehem fields located in the Indonesia Deepwater Development (IDD) project in the Makassar Strait, run by Chevron, a plan apparently supported by Jonan.

?So Chevron will no longer need to make additional huge investment because the facility (Jangkrik FPU) can be jointly utilized, so that there will be no duplication and the time (for completion of the IDD project) can be faster,? he explained. With additional gas output from the IDD project, the production capacity of the Jangkrik FPU can be further expanded to 900 mmscfd in 2022, which accounts for about 13 percent of current national gas production of 7,100 mmscfd.

Meanwhile, Chairman of upstream oil and gas authority SKK Migas Amien Sunaryadi said separately that the additional gas output from Merakes field will help compensate declining output from the Jangkrik field after reaching its peak of 450 mmscfd. He said that output from Merakes is expected in 2019.

Editing by Reiner Simanjuntak