PetroChina?s units prefer fields with oil and gas findings

Some units of Chinese oil and gas firm PetroChina Co. may consider to acquire interests in Indonesian oil and gas fields if adequate oil and gas reserves are found in such areas, a senior official of state oil and gas firm Pertamina told Petromindo.Com on Wednesday.

?As a matter of fact, PetroChina?s units had expressed interest to cooperate with Pertamina to develop fields where oil and gas reserves have been found,? Iin Arifin said.

Iin Arifin did not mention the names of the Chinese companies.

He was responding to recent remarks of the assistant secretary to PetroChina?s board of director, Mao Zefeng, that the Chinese firm had not made any decision to buy oil and gas assets in Indonesia. Media reports had said PetroChina was possibly making a new acquisition in Indonesia.

In April, PetroChina acquired stakes in six oil and gas fields in Indonesia from Devon Energy Corp. for US$216 million, its first such deal outside of China, to help satisfy China?s rapidly growing energy demands. (godang)