Pertamina to search for partners to manage Sumatra, Java blocks

State oil and gas company Pertamina is looking to find partners to co-manage 15 oil, gas onshore blocks in Java and Sumatra this year, a company official said on Tuesday.

Kun Kurnaely, president of Pertamina E&P told reporters that it would open data room for 9 oil, gas producing blocks and 6 explorations blocks in June this year with the aim of finding partners to manage the block by the end of the year. Pertamina E&P is an upstream arm of Pertamina.

Kun said that international E&P firms such as ConocoPhillips, Chevron and Total have expressed eagerness to partner with Pertamina. ?Chevron and Conoco are keen to partner in several areas in Central and Southern part of Sumatra,? he said.

Kun said that the search for international partner was part of Pertamina?s ambitious plan to hold a massive exploration campaign in its vast working areas in Java and Sumatra within the next five years and to significantly increase own-crude production to 170,000 BPD from the planned 100,000 BPD this year and to double gas production to 2BCFD after 2010. (godang)