Pertamina develops old oil wells in North Sumatra

State owned oil and gas company Pertamina has renewed exploration activities in a number of oil wells in the company?s oil field in Pangakalan Susu, North Sumatra in a bid to halt the sharp decline in the oil production from the area, Media Indonesia reported on Monday.

Ridwan Nyak Baik, the general manager for Pertamina?s operations in North Sumatra and Aceh, said that the development of old oil wells in the Pangkalan Susu oil field had resulted in the increase in the production from the field by 23 percent to 5,000 barrels per day during the period between December to January 2005.

?At present, the production declined again to between 3,800 and 4,500 barrels per day,? he added, but did not elaborate.

There are at least 372 oil wells in the Pangkalan Susu oil field but only 91 of them are still productive. In Aceh, Pertamina operates a total of 733 oil wells, but only 79 of them can produce oil. (*)