TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - After being postponed for two months, the Indonesia Deepwater Development (IDD) phase I has finally started. Gas production in the Bangka Field, Makassar Strait, is expected to reach the peak in September.
So far, the gas output has not reached its full capacity. "Last week I was informed that the output was only 5 million standard cubic feet per day (MMSCFD)," said the Energy Ministry's business development director for upstream oil and gas, Tunggal.
Once the field operates in full force, Tunggal explained, the gas produced will reach 120 MMSCFD. Meanwhile, condensate output is expected at 4,000 barrels a day.
The Energy Ministry has assigned the Special Task Force of Upstream Oil and Gas Business (SKK Migas) to make sure that production time is on schedule.
The project's contractor Chevron has been preparing the work since 2014. Bangka Field is the smallest of the three stages in the project development proposed by Chevron. It is located 3,200 feet below sea level.
The Energy Ministry is working to have part of the produced gas allocated to power plants in Kalimantan. The rest is handed over to state-owned energy company Pertamina.
After Bangka, the next IDD projects to work on are the Gendalo and Gehem fields. The combined production is expected to reach 1.1 billion cubic feet of gas and 47,000 barrels of condensate per day.
ROBBY IRFANY