Pertamina to set up drilling subsidiary

State oil and gas firm PT Pertamina plans to establish next year a new subsidiary, PT Pertamina Drilling Services Indonesia (PDSI) to provide driling service next year, the company official said.

?All Pertamina?s drilling activities will be consolidated into PDSI,? Pertamina?s Finance Director Frederic T Siahaan said on Friday.

Meanwhile, Pertamina?s Downstream Director Sukusen Soemarinda said the firm's total crude output for this year would reach 145,149 barrels per day (bpd), including 110,720 bpd from its own operation and 34,829 bpd from joint operations with partners.

Pertamina is expected to increase crude output by around 17 percent in 2008, he said.

According to Sukusen, Pertamina's total gas output will reach at 1,113.9 MMCFD this year, including 986 MMCFD from its own operations and 129.7 MMCFD from joint operations with partners.

The gas output is expected to increase to 1,485 MMCFD next year. (godang)