SKK Migas says 2014 oil lifting may exceed 813,000 bpd

Acting Chairman of the upstream authority SKK Migas, Johanes Widjonarko said that the country?s oil lifting in 2014 may be better than earlier anticipated amid latest encouraging data.

He told reporters on Wednesday that there is potential for the 2014 oil lifting to exceed 813,000 bpd.

?Yes (there is potential for higher lifting), we have sufficient data to increase the lifting figure,? Widjonarko said, adding that the new oil lifting target has been submitted to the Ministry of Finance, but declined to disclose it.

The 2014 State Budget has set an oil lifting target of 840,000 bpd. But due to a number of obstacles including poor weather condition earlier in the year, SKK Migas has recently sought to revise downward the target to 813,000 bpd.

Widjonarko, however, said that he is now more optimistic about the oil lifting figure as there has been good trend in oil production activities during the first semester of this year.

He added that the delay in the production schedule of the Bukit Tua field in Ketapang PSC, offshore East Java, operated by Petronas Carigali, to next year would not affect the more optimistic scenario for this year.(*)