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K-based energy giant BP Plc. expects its second liquefied natural gas (LNG) train or Train 2 at the Tangguh plant in West Papua to resume operations in mid-December after a fire at the terminal earlier this month forced the firm to cease its production.

BP Asia-Pacific regional president William Lin said over the weekend the company was currently focusing on repairs for the Train 2 to ensure it could return to production “as fast and as safely as possible”.

“We expect repairs to be completed by early next month and restart of production by mid-December,” he said in an email sent to The Jakarta Post.

The executive did not comment on estimated losses over the gas shortage resulting from the train being idle, which has forced buyers such as South Korea to forego its December LNG shipments from Indonesia.

Fire struck Train 2, which can produce 3.8 metric tons per annum (mtpa) of LNG, on Nov. 6, when the other facility, Train 1, was on scheduled
maintenance.

In addition, Lin maintained that Train 1 had successfully restarted its production after the completion on time of planned turnaround maintenance activities in early November and currently produced at a “100 percent nameplate capacity”.

Earlier, upstream oil and gas regulator BPMigas (now SKSPMigas) said estimated losses during the shut down would be 6,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day (boepd) of gas condensates.