Pertamina Produces Crude Oil From Sangasanga Oilfield

Balikpapan, E Kalimantan, Dec 14 (ANTARA) - The Business, Exploration and Production Units (UBEP) of state oil and gas company PT Pertamina succeeded in turning out oil from a number of old wells in East Kalimantan. Around 7,330 barrels of oil per day were produced from old wells in the Sangasanga and Tarakan fields in November, Ali Rochmad, the manager of the Sangasanga oil field, said here Friday. The production was 110 percent higher after the oil fields were taken over by Pertamina from Medco in 2008, Ali said, adding , at that time production averaged only 3,900 barrels per day. "In September 2011, the production even peaked at 8,600 barrels per day," he said. He said Pertamina is seeking to turn out oil from a number of abandoned oil wells in Sangasanga. There are more than 1,000 wells in this area and we have succeeded in putting 150 of them in operation again," he said. Production per well ranges from 5 barrels to 100 barrels per day, Hanif Setiawan, the assistant manager of the field said. There was, however, problem as now the concession overlapping with coal and oil palm plantation concessions, Ali said. Pertamina operating areas cover 5,325 hectares in Sangasanga, 6,181 hectares in Anggana, and 1,840 hectares in Samboja. In all areas Pertamina has to make a compromise with coal mining companies and plantation companies which came later.