Kardaya Warnika named acting director general of oil and gas

Kardaya Warnika, formerly working as staff expert of Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources Purnomo Yusgiantoro has been appointed as Acting Director General of Oil and Gas replacing Rachmat Sudibyo who has been named the chairman of the Implementation Body, the government?s new institution to handle upstream oil and gas activities, Neraca reported on Monday.

Minister Purnomo said in Jakarta over the weekend that Kardaya would temporarily take over Rachmat?s routine activities until new Director General of Oil and Gas was formally appointed. "Kardaya was appointed because as the chairman of the Implementation Body, Rachmat could not carry out double jobs," he said.

Purnomo said that Kardaya would be widely involved in a taskforce that would further process the offer from the Chinese government to supply the country?s province of Fujian about 2.5 million tons of liquefied natural gas (LNG) per year.

Several names have appeared as possible candidates to fill in the post left by Rachmat Sudibyo. They include Iin Takhyan, Pertamina?s director for upstream operation and the secretary of Pertamina?s board of commissioners. The appointment of Kardaya as the acting Director General of Oil and Gas, in fact, came as surprise to the oil and gas circle. His current position makes him as the strongest candidate to fill in the vacant job.

The establishment of the Implementation Body is in line with the gradual removal of Pertamina?s exclusive rights. The new agency will take over Pertamina?s regulatory role in managing production sharing contract (PSC) with oil and gas contractors. The government will also establish another agency, Regulatory Agency, to take over Pertamina?s regulatory task in down stream activities. (*)