VP will not make any decision on Donggi-Senoro LNG project

Vice President Boediono and his team are still intensively discussing the future of the Donggi-Senoro LNG project in Central Sulawesi but he is not in the position to make a decision, Kompas reported on Tuesday.

?The Vice President will not make any decision on Donggi-Senoro project. There is no provision in our legal system that the Vice President should make a decision or issue a decree. The Vice President acts only as the coordinator to help find ways to reach a decision,? the spokesman for the Vice President, Yopie Hidayat, said during a press conference on Monday.

Yopie said that the decision on the future of the Donggi-Senoro project could be made during a Cabinet meeting, or in the ministry level. ?If it involves a number of government institutions, the decision could be made in the Cabinet meeting, or if not, it can be decided by the Energy and Mineral Resources Minister,? he added.

Meanwhile, the chairman of the Presidential Unit for Reform of the Civil Service and Acceleration of Big Infrastructure Project, Kuntoro Mangkusubroto, said that the decision of the Donggi-Senoro LNG project would not be made this week as many had expected.

Speaking to reporters after meeting with the Energy and Mineral Resources Minister, Kuntoro said that any decision related to the Donggi-Senoro LNG project should based on the national gas policy.

?The decision should be made on a bigger context, such as the national gas policy, which prioritizes the use of gas reserves for the domestic market,? he said.

The project has been delayed for more than two years, causing certainty not only to its developers but also to its potential buyers. (*)