PEP delays gas production at Benggala-1 well
Wednesday, September 11 2013 - 02:43 AM WIB
PT Pertamina EP (PEP) has decided to postpone gas production at the Benggala-1 well in Langkat block, North Sumatra due to technical-related problems.
The well was initially scheduled to be on stream early this month, but PEP postponed it to October.
PEP Public Relations Manager Agus Amperianto told Petromnindo.com Wednesday that the delay was due to technical problem related to the low pressure of only between 70 and 100 psi at the well. ?The PEP drilling team is currently working on washing the holes so that the gas pressure could be raised,? he said.
As previously reported, PEP estimated production rate at the well at 5-7 mmscfd. The gas from the Benggala-1 well is expected help resolve the lingering acute gas shortage in the area of Medan, the provincial capital of North Sumatra.
It remains unclear, however, whether the gas would be distributed to industrial consumers or to the state-owned electricity company PLN. The local industries need about 22 mmscfd of gas, while PLN needs about 102 mmscfd. Supplyl for the industries currently stands at only 7 mmscfd, solely coming from the Pangkalan Susu field after production from Glagah Kambuna field operated by Pertamina EP has been depleted.
Editing by Reiner Simanjuntak