Pertamina asks ExxonMobil to pay gas pipeline fee

State oil and gas company Pertamina asked ExxonMobil Indonesia (EMOI) to pay US$3 million in fees for the use of the latter?s pipeline to deliver natural gas to a paper company in Aceh.

Ridwan Nyak Baik, Pertamina?s manager for upstream operations in Aceh and North Sumatra, told reporters on Saturday that the amount was the total pipeline fee payable by EMOI for the use of the pipeline from 1996 to 2001.

EMOI used the pipeline to deliver natural gas from its fields in North Aceh to PT Kertas Kraft Aceh.

EMOI initially paid fees to PT Moeladi, which had developed the pipeline under the build, operate and transfer scheme. EMOI stopped paying fees after Moeladi transferred the pipeline to Pertamina in 1996.

Aside from the pipeline fee, EMOI failed to pay Pertamina a total of Rp 5,5 billion for fuel delivered by the state company to the American firm from November 4, 1996 to March 31, 2001, according to Ridwan.

EMOI has also yet to pay Pertamina Rp 310 million for the purchase of chemicals from the state company.

Ridwan said Pertamina had met with EMOI together with upstream regulatory body BP Migas on January 11, 2005 in Jakarta and on February 5, 2005 in Bogor, south of Jakarta over the issue.

Ridwan claimed that after seeing documents presented by Pertamina, BP Migas acknowledged that EMOI had to make payment as demanded by Pertamina.

EMOI had also agreed to make payment but asked for time to study Pertamina?s documents, according to Ridwan.

?Pertamina hopes EMOI to make payment in two weeks,? Ridwan said. (Godang)