Nusantara Regas asks Bontang to postpone LNG shipping

By Godang Sitompul

PT Nusantara Regas has asked Bontang liquefied natural gas (LNG) plant to postpone the shipping of the third LNG cargo to its floating storage and re-gasification unit (FSRU) in Jakarta bay.

?We?ve sent a letter asking for the LNG shipping postponement to the LNG joint marketing group (JMG) and to the Bontang plant this morning. The postponement will be from the planned third cargo that was scheduled to be shipped from Bontang in the next few days,? Nusantara Regas Finance and Administration Director Soetikno told Petromindo.com in Jakarta last Friday (July 6). ?So far, we haven?t yet received a response from Bontang,? he added.

Nusantara Regas took the step after state utility PLN, the purchaser of the gas from the FSRU for its Muara Karang power plant, failed to make payment for the gas sent from the FSRU in May.

Last week, PT Nusantara Regas, the owner of West Java FSRU, was threatening to cancel the shipment of third LNG cargo to PT Perusahaan Listrik Negara (PLN), scheduled for July 14, as the state owned electricity firm has continued to defer the payment of the first cargo it delivered in May, while the second LNG cargo arrived last week.

But Soetikno had earlier admitted that Nusantara had made the first delivery despite the fact that no agreement has been reached with the state utility PLN on the price of the gas.

PLN had previously stated that it was ready to make payment for one cargo of LNG that had been supplied by PT Nusantara Regas to its PLTGU Muara Karang combined cycle power plant in North Jakarta. ?PLN is ready to make payment anytime. The problem is Nusantara insists we have to pay an alpha (margin) that is not in line with the Heads of Agreement (HoA), that has been signed by PLN and Nusantara. Meanwhile, we stick to the HoA,? Suryadi Mardjoeki, PLN?s Head of Oil Fuels and Gas Division said.

So far, Petromindo.com could not yet contact any official of PLN for comments on the latest step taken by Nusantara Regas.

Editing by Benget Besalicto Tnb.