LNG exports from Arun expected to restart in mid-August
Thursday, July 19 2001 - 05:03 AM WIB
?The first shipment of LNG is expected to take place mid-August,? spokesman for Pertamina?s directorate of production sharing management Sidick A. Nitikusuma Thursday.
ExxonMobil started to re-operate its Arun gas fields in the nearby area of Lhok Sukon Wednesday afternoon after months of suspension.
Sidick said in the beginning, ExxonMobil would operate one of its four gas field clusters, that is Cluster I, at the production rate of 60 million cubic feet per day (MMCFD).
The production volume would be increased to 250 MMCFD in four days. This, combined with the gas production of 150 MMCFD at the company?s gas fields in the North Sumatra Offshore block in the Malacca Straits, would be enough to feed one LNG train at PT Arun NGL.
Gas production at Cluster II would be increased to 200 MMCFD in five days from now, while NSO?s production would be raised to 300 MMCFD. The total 500 MMCFD gas output from both locations would be enough to feed one train at PT Arun NGL and the fertilizer plant of PT ASEAN Aceh Fertilizer, Sidick said.
After Cluster I is operating fully, ExxoMobil will proceed with the operation of Cluster I at the production rate of 200 MMCFD, Sidick said.
He was however reluctant to provide timetable for the operation of Cluster III and IV.
?Cluster III and IV will resume operation in the next few months,? he said.
ExxonMobil suspended its Arun gas operation in March on security problems allegedly caused by the local rebels. It has since pressured by the government to resume its operation.
Aside from the Arun fields, ExxonMobil also operates the NSO fields, which cab operate normally despite security turmoil in Aceh?s land.
PT Arun NGL has six LNG trains, but two of them had been idle prior to ExxonMobil?s gas shutdown due to the decrease in gas supplies from the company. (*)