State-owned energy giant Pertamina submitted on Wednesday its proposal to operate Rokan block, one of the country’s most productive oil blocks, sending a message to the existing operator, US oil and gas giant Chevron Corporation, that it is ready to compete. 

Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry oil and gas director general Djoko Siswanto told the press that Pertamina used the same enhance oil recovery (EOR) techniques that Chevron used in their oil fields across the globe.

“We have received the proposal [from Pertamina]. The company will likely also use the same technology [that is used by Chevron],” he said. 

EOR, according to Chevron’s website, involves a set of technologies used to recover billions of barrels of discovered oil.

Chevron had used the technology in several oil projects, including Permian Basin in Texas and the Agbami offshore field in Nigeria.

Djoko said Chevron, represented by its subsidiary Chevron Pacific Indonesia (CPI), planned to submit its proposal sometime this week. 

“Chevron made a presentation about their plan for the block before us. But it will submit its official proposal this week,” he said, adding that the government was open to the possibility of taking part in a joint-operating scheme. 

The government is scheduled to make a decision on the Rokan block this month, but Djoko said that the announcement could be delayed.

Data from the Upstream Regulatory Agency (SKKMigas) in April show that the block’s oil production stood at 210,280 barrels of oil per day and its gas production at 24.26 million cubic feet per day. (bbn)