PEPC to initiate WPBEO concept for extra output in Banyu Urip

By Febry Silaban

PT Pertamina EP Cepu (PEPC), a subsidiary of state-owned oil and gas firm PT Pertamina (Persero), is planning to initiate a new concept namely the Well Pad B Early Oil (WPBEO), which is expected to provide additional production of 35,000 bopd at the Banyu Urip field in Cepu block.

"If the full development of Banyu Urip will be late in the second quarter of 2015, we initiate the new concept called the WPBEO. If there are no obstacles, the WPBFO production facility will be able to provide an additional of 35,000 bopd in February 2015, as our target," President Director of PEPC Amril Thaib Mandailaing told Petromindo.com.

He said, PEPC has continued to seek to increase Banyu Urip?s production, initially by proposing the concept of Early Production Facility (EPF), but which was at the time rejected by partner ExxonMobil due to its ?non-POD.?

"But in fact now the EPF becomes the foundation of the national production. Then, PEPC initiated a second idea, namely EOE (Early Oil Expansion), with an additional 10,000 bopd currently,? he said.

?So, 30,000 bopd from EPF plus 10,000 bopd from EOE equals to 40,000 bopd now. Then, there will be an additional 35,000 bopd from WPBEO in February 2015,? Amril explained.

"Currently, the WPBEO plan is still being discussed," he said.

Amril added that PEPC and partner EMCL are currently in the process of assessment for possibility of the field to reach a peak production of 185-,000-200,000 bopd by end of next year, from the initial estimate of 165,000 bopd.

The Banyu Urip oil field is part of the Cepu block, located at the borders of Central Java and East Java. The block is operated by ExxonMobil Cepu Ltd (EMCL), a unit of ExxonMobil Oil Indonesia, with a 45 percent participating interest and PEPC holds another 45 percent. The remaining 10 percent participating interest is shared by a consortium of regionally owned companies; PT Sarana Patra Hulu Cepu (Central Java), PT Asri Dharma Sejahtera (Bojonegoro), PT Blora Patragas Hulu (Blora), and PT Petrogras Jatim Utama Cendana (East Java).

Editing by Reiner Simanjuntak