Oil and Gas Reserves Potential in Eastern Indonesia Reaches 9.8bn Barrels

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry noted there is high potential for unexplored oil and gas reserves in eastern Indonesia. Five regions, including Buton, Warin, Seram, Aru, and Timor, have combined potential natural resources reserves of more than 9.8 billion barrels of oil equivalent.

"The Energy Ministry has assigned an exploration team to integrate data in areas with potentials for further explorations, such as in Buton, Warin, Seram, Aru, and Timor," the ministry's secretary general Ego Syahrial said in the 'Pertamina Energy Webinar 2021: Energizing Your Future', Tuesday, December 7.

Overall, the Energy Ministry recorded there are 70 basins throughout Indonesia that have not been explored out of a total of 128. As of January 2021, the Ministry recorded a total proven reserve of 2.44 billion barrels and gas of 43.6 TCF.

Syahrial said the government would continue to encourage state-owned oil-gas company Pertamina to boost exploration in prospective areas. He said that the use of oil and natural gas will continue to soar even though the government is intensifying energy transformation towards new and renewable energy.

In the context of low-carbon industry, for example, the roles of natural gas are very important for energy transition. One of them is raw materials for industrial use .

"For this reason, the exploration [of oil and gas potential] continues to be increased, with greater efforts," Syahrial said.

Read: DPR Aims to Finish Oil and Gas Law Revision by Late 2022

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