Karen says her Kazakhstan visit very encouraging
Thursday, May 24 2012 - 11:47 PM WIB
State oil and gas company PT Pertamina President Director Karen Agustiawan claimed that a working visit she made recently to Kazakhstan had brought a very positive result, saying that the Central Asian country really understood the Indonesian need of crude oil and fuel oil.
?They (the Kazakhstan government) will help us to realize a cooperation between Pertamina and their state oil and gas company. We?ll soon set up a working committee that will analyze the feasibility of the assets to be acquired by Pertamina in the country,? she said in Jakarta on Thursday.
Karen, who made a visit to Kazakhstan together with Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Jero Wacik, said that Pertamina had already identified 3 assets, potentially to be acquired in the country, with an estimated total production of 100,000 barrels of oil per day.
According to her, with a total population of only 17 million and a total oil need of 250,000 barrels per day, the country can export around 1.25 million barrels of crude oil per day.
In the next 5 years, Kazakhstan?s crude oil production will reach 2.5 million barrels per day. ?Considering such development, the country is very potential for us to cooperate with to meet our local need,? she said.
The Kazakhstan plan is part of Pertamina?s plan to expand abroad. Recently, it was reported that Pertamina would sign a memorandum of understanding with Iraq National Oil Company (INOC) next month (June). The agreement will allow Pertamina to operate Tuba block in the oil-rich Iraq.
Editing by Benget Besalicto Tnb.