No solution yet on Gajah Baru gas swap

By Godang Sitompul

There has been no solution so far to the gas swap from Gajah Baru field owned by Premier in Natuna, Riau Islands to the state utility PT PLN because PLN cannot absorb all of the gas from the field, a senior official of the ministry of energy and mineral resources said.

The ministry?s Oil and Gas Director General Evita H. Legowo said that instead of absorbing all of the gas from Gajah Baru field, PLN had asked for a transfer to PT Krakatau Steel. ?So their negotiations on the gas swap from Gajah Baru have not yet resulted in any solution. The problem is that PLN cannot absorb all the supply,? Evita told Petromindo.com in Jakarta on Monday.

Separately, Energy and Mineral Resources Vice Minister Rudi Rubiandini noted that the problem of gas swap from Gajah Baru was centered on the price. ?It seems that until now their problem is on the price. I?ll try to find out this afternoon what is the latest development of their negotiations,? he told Petromindo.com.

But both Rudi and Evita refused to give any further details on the prices offered by PLN and Premier.

Editing by Benget Besalicto Tnb.