TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Three students of the geography department at the University of Indonesia (UI) discovered a way to detect the location of a natural oil reservoir by observing hydrocarbon microseepage with the help of satellite images provided by Landsat 8 and Sentinel 2.

“The quick nature of this new method promises a larger profit that can be adapted to numerous scales; it is low risk and cheaper compared to the conventional exploration method,” said Rifelly Dewi Astuti, Head of University of Indonesia’s public relations today, August 14.

The three students are Muhammad Iqbal Januadi Putra, Diki Nurul Huda, and Fida Afdhalia; “The research was supervised by UI’s geography lecturer Supriatna,” said Rifelly.

According to the team’s leader Muhammad Iqbal, the oil and gas hydrocarbon microseepage is a phenomenon linked to the existence of an onshore oil or gas reservoir. It is usually marked by several anomalies that are sensitive towards a certain long wave spectrum detectable by satellite imagery.

“The use of satellite imagery from Landsat 8 and Sentinel 2 to detect onshore oil and gas reservoirs were never before utilized by anyone,” said Iqbal.

The team studied the Jambi Merang oil and gas block as the team’s research subject located in the South Sulawesi Province. The research found that there are indications of hydrocarbon microseepage in the area of Jambi Merang.

The UI research is hoped to present an affordable, quicker, and low risk solution towards the current issue where Indonesia is experiencing depleting oil and gas reservoirs.

IRSYAN HASYIM