Pertamina, Petronas, PTT Thailand plan to jointly develop biomass energy

State oil and gas company PT Pertamina said it is planning to cooperate with Malaysia?s oil and gas company Petronas and PTT Public Company Ltd of Thailand to develop renewable energy, biomass.

Vice President for Corporate Communication of Pertamina, Mochamad Harun, was quoted by Bisnis Indonesia as saying that the three companies are currently conducting joint research.

?The joint research is aimed at reducing research costs for renewable energy development,? he said on the sideline of World Renewable Energy Congress in Nusa Dua, Bali.

He further elaborated that the planned development of biomass energy was aimed at expanding revenue sources from core business, namely oil and gas. ?The research that we are conducting together with Malaysia and Thailand partners is still in small scale,? he said, adding that Pertamina expects to raise its expenditures in developing renewable energy, including for research. (*)