We can handle Mahakam: Pertamina
Tuesday, October 9 2012 - 05:57 AM WIB
State owned oil and gas firm PT Pertamina continues its campaigns to acquire the huge Mahakam block in East Kalimantan, saying that concerns over the firm?s financial and technical abilities in managing such a huge block are groundless.
Total EP Indonesie's contract to operate the Mahakam block will last until 2017 and Pertamina has publicly requested the government to hand over the operatorship to Pertamina when it expires. But skeptics express doubts that Pertamina has the financial and technical strength to operate a block of such scale.
?That?s not true. We have learned the lessons from ONWJ (Onshore North West Java) and WMO (West Madura Offshore). We keep the existing manpower there, only providing capital and guidance. We could do the same with Mahakam. So if Mahakam is handed to us, there should not be problems operation-wise,? Salis Aprilian, President Director of PT Pertamina Hulu Energi (PHE), an upstream arm of Pertamina, told Petromindo.com in Bali on Tuesday.
?Technologically, technically and financially, we are fully capable of running the Mahakam block. What we need is the government?s will,? Salis said.
Editing by David Mustakim