Pertamina denies giving Marathon monopoly to market LNG in U.S

State oil and gas firm Pertamina on Thursday denied allegations that it had given US-based trading company Marathon Corp. monopoly to market liquefied natural gas (LNG) from Central Sulawesi to United States? West Coast.

The company?s denial was in response to the question raised by production sharing contractors over the agreement signed recently by Pertamina and Marathon.

?It is not true that we had given Marathon monopoly to supply LNG to the West Coast of the U.S. Anybody can supply LNG to the U.S provided that the LNG is not derived from gas produced in Donggi,? Pertamina?s upstream director Iin Arifin Takhyan told Petromindo.com and Neraca daily.

Pertamina operates an oil and gas block in Donggi regency in Central Sulawesi.

Iin added: ?Cooperation with Marathon aims to facilitate Pertamina to penetrate the US market, which is not easy work.?

He said several investors had in fact expressed interest to market LNG from Central Sulawesi to the United States, Philippines and other countries.

Pertamina?s Donggi block has 5.3 trillion cubic feet of proven gas reserve with 17.1 trillion possible reserve. In the future the Donggi block and Senoro-Tili block, also in Central Sulawesi, will be integrated into one operation, Iin said. (Voccess)