Total happy to join East Natuna gas project

French firm Total SA said it feels "honored and proud" to join the East Natuna gas block in Natuna Sea, while claiming it has the necessary technology to develop the block's gas reserves which is known to have high CO2 content.

State owned oil and gas firm PT Pertamina has chosen Total, aside from Malaysian firm Petronas and US firm ExxonMobil as partners in developing the block. Pertamina signed the heads of agreement (HoA) with Total and Petronas on Friday, while a similar agreement with Exxon was signed earlier this month.

"The signing of the agreement serves as evidence to the trust of the Indonesian government and Pertamina in the technical and financial capability of Total in the development of offshore gas fields," Elisabeth Proust, the general Manager of TOTAL E&P Indonesie, said in a statement.

"Thanks to 50 years of experience in producing acid and sour gas, Total has developed technologies to separate C02 in a large quantity, to enhance facilities' efficiency and transport, inject and store C02," she said. (Godang/Giok)