Page 5 - AsianOil Week 28

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SOUTH ASIA AsianOil
rolling blackouts, which have dragged on eco- nomic growth.
Bangladesh is seeking to boost imports of the fuel and has been expanding not just its import capacity but also its transmis- sion network.
State-run Gas Transmission Company Ltd (GTCL) completed the 181 km Chat- togram-Feni-Bakhrabad gas transmission pipeline in April, paving the way for increased LNG imports. GTCL managing director Md.
Atiquzzaman told S&P Global Platts that the pipeline could carry around 1bn cubic feet (28.32mn cubic metres) per day of regasi ed LNG, up from a maximum of 650mn cubic feet (18.41 mcm) per day.
In addition to long-term import contracts with Qatar’s RasGas and Oman Trading Inter- national, Bangladesh has signed supply deals with 14 global international LNG traders that will allow the country to access spot cargoes and diversify its supply portfolio.™
SOUTHEAST ASIA
Pertamina plans to maintain Rokan oil production
PROJECTS & COMPANIES
INDONESIA’S state-owned Pertamina has said it wants to produce up to 180,000 barrels per day (bpd) of crude oil from the onshore Rokan block once it assumes operatorship next year.
US super-major Chevron’s licence for the block in Riau Province is set to expire next year a er its extension bid was beaten by Pertamina in 2018. e state company paid a $784mn sign- ing bonus for the licence in December 2018.
“We hope production could be maintained at 170,000-180,000 bpd when Pertamina takes over,” Pertamina Hulu Energi (PHE) CEO Budiman Parhusip said on July 15.
Rokan produced 180,780 bpd in the rst ve months of this year, according to SKK Migas data. e gure exceeded the regulator’s target by 5%.
Parhusip, speaking during a virtual con- ference, added that both his company and upstream regulator SKK Migas were in talks with Chevron about the latter continuing to drill new wells until July 2021. An adviser to SKK Migas chairman Dwi Soetjipto, Satya W Yudha, told the same conference that the US super-major would drill another 107 wells before its con- tract expires. e o cial said that while further discussion was needed, Chevron had initially committed to drilling 11 wells in November and December and 96 next year.
Parhusip said Pertamina aimed to eventually li the block’s production above 200,000 bpd, though he did not explain how or when this could be achieved.
“We are collaborating intensively with SKK Migas to prepare the technical implementation,” Reuters quoted an unnamed Chevron spokes- man as saying.
Parhusip said Pertamina was willing to sell a 10% stake in the project to either a
province-owned enterprise or a privately owned domestic company.
“We hoped that local companies will also par- ticipate in providing services and goods for the Rokan block, so they can improve Riau’s econ- omy,” Budiman said.
Pertamina had hoped to drill its own wells on the eld, revealing both earlier this year and last year that it had approached Chevron to arrange early access.
Pertamina said in January that it wanted to drill at least 20 wells at Rokan this year, with drilling operations potentially starting in the third quarter. e state major had warned that production could drop to 140,000 bpd in 2021 if it did begin drilling early. Such was its eagerness to enter the eld early that corporate secretary Tajudin Noor even agged up the possibility of farming in to the licence.
Underscoring the challenges Pertamina has faced in gaining access, upstream director Dhar- mawan Samsu said in January 2019 that his com- pany had approached Chevron about launching an early drilling programme.™
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