TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Gas supply to customer of sate-owned gas company PGN in Medan, North Sumatra has been halted for the past few weeks. This is due to the fact that gas processing facility in a refinery managed by PT Petra Arun Gas (PAG) has not completed and it causes disturbance to gas supply in North Sumatra from Aceh.
PGN Secretary Rachmat Hutama revealed that the disruption of gas supply in North Sumatera occurred in early Desember. It is caused by gas producing facility belonging to PT Pertamina Hulu Energi (PHE) North Sumatera Offshore (NSO) stopped operating due to bad weather or storm. "Meanwhile the current problem to gas supply is caused by repair in gas processing facility belonging to PT Petra Arun Gas (PAG)," Rachmat said on Saturday (23/12).
PHE NSO could not supply gas to PGN since natural gas has to undergo Sulphur separation process through sulfur removal unit (SFU) in PAGfacility. The next problem is to remove Sulphur, amine tertiary is needed, but it is not available.
PAG is placing an order for chemical compound MDEA to remove Sulphur. "Based on information we received, normal supply of the chemical will complete on the third week of January. As long as the repair is not complete, gas cannot be supplied from PHE NSO," Rachmat said.
An option that PNG is working on, Rachmat continued, is from Block A managed by Medco in Aceh or from Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) inArun Terminal.
ANTARA
