SKK Migas deputy helping Petamina make Mahakam proposal
Wednesday, February 18 2015 - 02:09 AM WIB
Aussie B. Gautama, a former senior executive of Total E&P Indonesie (TEPI) who currently serves as Planning Deputy at upstream authority SKK Migas, is now helping state owned oil and gas firm PT Pertamina in formulating the firm?s plan to develop the Mahakam block in East Kalimantan.
Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources Sudirman Said said he has ?coordinated? with SKK Migas over the side job of Aussie.
?We must share our best resources. Aussie is the best we have now. Pertamina now needs an upstream guy to develop Mahakam,? he said.
Sudirman has given a greenlight for Pertamina to take over the Mahakam block once the current contract held by TEPI and Japanese firm INPEX expires on Dec. 31, 2017. The minister however asks Pertamina to make a proposal on its plan to develop the block as a requirement for the firm to take over the block. Based on the propoal, the government will decide whether Pertamina is ready to develop Mahakam, which is one of the most prolific gas blocks in the country.
Mahakam is considered a very complex block and many people doubt Pertamina?s capability to operate the block on its own.
Aussie worked for 20 years for TEPI with the latest position being vice president of geoscience and reservoir before moving to SKK Migas several years ago.
Sudirman said Aussie is assisting Pertamina on temporary basis and he will coordinate with SKK Migas?s Chairman Amien Sunaryadi on the future status of Aussie at SKK Migas.
The fact however drew sharp criticism from the House of Representatives. Kardaya Warnika, Head of the House?s Commission VII which oversees energy affairs, said Aussie is tainting the reputation of SKK Migas by doing a side job at Pertamina.
He noted that Pertamina is a Production Shariing Contractor (PSC) and SKK Migas?s job is to supervise PSC.
?How come a supervisor becomes a worker of a company which he supervises? This is a fatal mistake,? he said.
Meanwhile, Pertamina?s Upstream Director Syamsu Alam refused to comment on the service being carried out by Aussie at Pertamina.
He noted however that Pertamina is now in the final stage of completing its proposal on Mahakam. He said the drafting of the proposal has been completed and the draft is now being reviewed by Pertamina?s Board of Commissioners.
?The proposal is waiting for approval from the Board of Commissioners. God willing, it will be submitted to the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources prior to March,? he said.
Editing by Johannes Simbolon