PHE to revive mangrove and coral reefs in 3 affected regencies

Upstream oil and gas company PT Pertamina Hulu Energi (PHE) through its subsidiary PHE ONWJ ensures that it will take full responsibility for environmental recovery in areas affected by the oil spill at the YYA-1 platform in three affected provinces, namely West Java, DKI Jakarta and Banten.

The environmental recovery works will be carried out on mangrove ecosystems and coral reefs in the form of maintenance, mangrove planting and transplantation of coral reefs in the affected area.

"Our commitment will be to restore the affected environment as before. The target of planting the mangroves and 'fish houses' will soon be carried out based on the data received by PHE-ONWJ," said Ifki Sukarya, VP Relations of PT Pertamina Hulu Energi (PHE).

Mangrove planting will be carried out in 3 affected regencies. The company will plant mangroves in some villages in the Karawang regency to maintain and recover mangrove ecosystems such as in North Pusakajaya Village, Sungai Buntu Village, Sedari Village, Cemarajaya Village and others.

As for the Bekasi Regency, PHE ONWJ will plant mangrove in Bahagia beach and Bakti villages. In the Thousand Islands, the company will carry out environmental recovery works, with a focus on maintaining and recovering mangroves and coral reefs.

Ifki added the target of environmental recovery is based on the results of a survey conducted by the Bogor Agricultural Institute (IPB), the Ministry of Environment & Forestry (KLHK), the local Environment Agency and input from the community and various parties.

He also explained that for the ecosystem, location and extent of the affected area that must be restored, the authorities would later determine based on the survey results.

"Environmental preservation has become the company's permanent program in all Pertamina operational areas. With the YYA incident, the program will be improved so that the natural resources of the waters and plants in the affected areas can be preserved," concluded Ifki.

The environmental damages in these areas were caused by oil spill at the YYA-1 well. PHE has said the oil spill was triggered by well-kick at the reactivated YYA-1 well on July 12, 2019.

On Friday (20/09), PHE ONWJ said it has promptly dealt with the bubbled gas which appeared around the YYA offshore platform by deploying the Incident Management Team (IMT)

The company said the efforts to contain the oil leakages are now entering the final important phase following drilling of a relief well, near the YYA-1 platform, during the past six weeks.

Ifki Sukarya said that the drilling of YYA-1 RW relief well has now reached the final safe point of installing a 8 ½” casing at a depth of 8,957 feet or 2,730 meters.  This safe point leaves a 20-feet (6 meters) interval from the target for starting intercept at 8,977 feet or 2,736 meters.

Editing by Roffie Kurniawan