RI seeks LPG import from Saudi Arabia, UAE

Deputy Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources Arcandra Tahar met recently with senior government officials of Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates (UAE) on the sidelines of an investment forum in Saudi Arabia, discussing among other things possibility of Indonesia?s state-owned oil and gas firm PT Pertamina to directly purchase liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) from state-owned firms of the two countries.

The Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources said in a statement obtained Tuesday that Indonesia was seeking for the help of the Saudi Arabia government to allow Pertamina to directly purchase LPG from Saudi Aramco at a total volume of 6 million tons per year.

The statement added that Pertamina was also looking to purchase LPG from UAE?s ADNOC, but did not specify the planned volume.

The statement said that during the talks held on the sidelines of the October 24-26 First Forum on Public Investment Fund 2017, Indonesia and Saudi Arabia agreed to set up a ministerial level joint commission to help accelerate planned investments by Saudi Arabia firms in Indonesia including cooperation between Pertamina and Saudi Aramco to develop an oil refinery in Cilacap, Central Java. The Saudi Arabia government is also expected to help Pertamina obtain cheaper Arab Light crude from Saudi Aramco, and for Saudi Arabia government to allow Pertamina to set up jet fuel refueling business at the Jeddah Air Port.

Editing by Reiner Simanjuntak