MALAYSIA INTERESTED IN NATUNA GAS EXPLORATION

Jakarta, April 24 (ANTARA) - Visiting Malaysian Prime Minister Dato' Sri Najib Razak said his government was interested in taking part in the management of Natuna gas block which was believed to be rich in gas reserve in Riau Islands.

"I thanked the President (Yudhoyono) for his offer that Natuna could also be exploited by Petronas," Najib said after holding a bilateral meeting here on Thursday.
Najib and Yudhoyono held a one-hour meeting on Thursday during which the two agreed to develop cooperation in the energy sector.
Besides discussing cooperation in the exploration of Natuna gas field, the two sides also discussed cooperation in the energy sector.
"I have proposed a cooperation in the energy sector where Malaysia would develop a hydro-power plant (PLTA) whose production would be channeled to the Malaysian peninsula through a submarine pipeline," the Malaysian prime minister said.
He said that Malaysia also offered electricity supplies for Kalimantan areas. "This is an example of a good cooperation and I thanked the president for his positive welcome so that the matter could later be discussed further," he added.
In the meantime, Minister/State Secretary Hatta Rajasa said that state-owned oil and gas company Pertamina was now seeking parters to exploit Natuna gas field, particularly after ExxonMobil Oil Indonesia had returned the block to Indonesia.
"It will need an investment of about Rp60 billion. Many countries have sent letters to the president expressing their interest in gas exploration cooperation," Rajasa said.
Prime Minister Najib Razak is on his first official visit to Indonesia for two days on April 22-23, 2009. Najib replaced Malaysian prime minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi on April 3, 2009.
The trade volume between the two countries continued to increase in the past two years to US$15.3 billion in 2008 and to US$ 11.5 billion in the previous year.
Malaysia's investment in Indonesia in 2008 amounted to 363.3 million dollars, which increased from 217.3 million dollars in 2007.***