il production from the celebrated Rokan Block in Riau is expected to decline next year as the block transitions operators from American oil company Chevron to Indonesian state-owned oil company Pertamina.
Upstream Oil and Gas Regulatory Taskforce (SKKMigas) head Dwi Soetjipto told reporters on Dec. 17 that “while the Rokan Block is under transition, production will go down” to a projected 161,000 barrels of oil per day (bopd) next year, down 15.27 percent from this year.
The Rokan Block is Indonesia’s second-most productive oil block, having produced around 190,000 bopd in this year’s first half. Hence, many government officials and legislators lauded Pertamina’s takeover of the block as a milestone in resource nationalism.
Chevron is slated to transition block operations to Pertamina over the course of next year before Pertamina takes over in 2021, yet both companies remain tight-lipped over transition plans.
Pertamina upstream director Dharmawan Samsu last said on Sept. 10 that the Indonesian company had received “part of the [topological] subsurface data” from Chevron. Specifically, he continued, the two companies had validated 13 of 78 potential oil wells.
“A joint steering committee consisting of SKKMigas, Chevron Pacific Indonesia and Pertamina has been formed to ensure effective collaboration for a safe and successful transfer,” Chevron corporate communications manager Sonitha Poernomo said on Dec. 18. (evi)
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