Oil and gas firms asked to use Serpong Technology Center?s facilities

Minister of Research and Technology Hatta Radjasa has encouraged local companies involved in oil and gas drilling activities to take the advantage of facilities provided by the Research Center of Technology in Serpong, Neraca reported on Monday.

He said that the use of the government?s research centers such as the Serpong Technology Research Center could significantly reduce operating costs. "Although we still rely on the use of foreign-made technology, the local research centers could be used to test and assess whether the imported equipment could be properly used or not," he said.

Hatta also called on local oil and gas companies to cooperate with the local research centers in supporting their activities. "Many local oil and gas companies are too foreign minded. The quality of the local researchers have the same quality as of that of foreign ones, although they often do not understand what companies really need," he said.

The minister made the statement during the inauguration of Alimin Abdullah as the new chairman of the association of companies involved in oil and drilling activities (APMI) for 2002-2005 working term. (*)