Sengkang gas resumes operation: BPMIGAS

The Sengkang gas production facilities in Sulawesi have resumed operation late on Tuesday following days of shut down in the wake of protest by local villagers, according to Agus Suryono, spokesman of BPMIGAS, the country?s oil and gas upstream regulator.

?The Sengkang operation has returned to normal last night,? Agus said on Wednesday, adding that the facilities has resumed gas supply to the power grid in Sulawesi

Local residents occupied the gas production facilities last week as BPMIGAS turned down their demand to get compensation from the operation of the gas field.

The protests caused the local government to close the gas production facilities. The Sengkang power plant, which provides about 70 percent of the power supply in South Sulawesi, Southeast Sulawesi and North Sulawesi, shut down its operation due to the absence of the gas supply.

The Sengkang gas block, operated by Energy Equity Epic Sengkang, is the only gas supplier of the power plant which is owned by PT Energi Sengkang. Both companies are subsdiaries Energy World Corporation (EWC) of Australia. (*)