Pertamina EP to drill 14 wells at Matindok gas wells this year

Pertamina EP, a subsidiary of state owned oil and gas company Pertamina, plans to drill 14 wells at the company?s Matindok gas field in Central Sulawesi, this year.

Pertamina EP?s President Director Syamsul Alam said that the company expected to pump out about 105 million standard cubic feet per day (MMSCFD) from the 14 wells.

He said that about 85 MMSCFD of the total production would be supplied to a liquefied natural gas (LNG) plant to be built in Senoro, Central Sulawesi and the other 20 MMSCFD to state electricity company PLN.

Meanwhile Pertamina EP Spokesman Agus Amperianto said that drilling works had begun at three of the planned 14 wells. ?The drilling activities will be carried out until 2013,? he said as quoted by Kontan , adding that the drilling works at a well cost between $6 million and $7 million.

Based an initial result, the gas production at the first and second wells reaches between 4 and 5 MMSCFD.

Pertamina EP produced about 1,070 MMSFD last year, up from 1,054 MMSFD in 2010. About 34 percent of the gas production is sold to PLN, 20 percent to industrial users, 18 percent to fertilizer producers, 25 percent to private power plants and 3 percent to Pertamina?s refinery. (*)