Pertamina signs cooperation with Korean firms on city gas safety

PT Pertamina Niaga, a gas distributor unit of state owned oil and gas firm PT Pertamina (Persero), signed on Friday Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) with two South Korean firms, Korea Gas Safety (KGS) and SK E&S under which both Korean firms will assist the state firm in providing safety in city gas distribution.

The MoUs were signed by Pertagas Niaga?s President Director Jugi Prajogio and KGS?s Executive Director for Gas Safety Management Park Jangsik and SK E&S Vice President Nam Jungho, Pertamina said in a statement.

South Korea has been developing city gas since 1980s and both firms are experienced in providing safety for the business, either through regulation or technology.

As a follow-up to the MoUs, a workshop on city gas safety will be held in October of this year in South Korea with participants from Indonesia.

?The transfer of knowledge will not only useful in minimizing safety-related problems in the development of city gas in Indonesia, but is only also necessary to assure the public that city gas is safety,? Jugi said.

Pertamina recently got an assignment from the government to operate city gas networks that has and will be built using the state funds in several cities/regencies of the country, namely Lhokseumawe, Sidoarjo, Bekasi regency, Ogan Ilir, Bontang, Subang and Bulungan. Gas supply in three of the cities are scheduled to start in the fourth quarter of the year, Jugi said.

Editing by Johannes Simbolon