Aceh Requests Mubadala Gas Discovery to be Processed at Arun Lhokseumawe SEZ

Banda Aceh (ANTARA) - The Aceh Oil and Gas Management Agency (BPMA) stated that the Governor of Aceh, Muzakir Manaf (also known as Mualem), has requested that the gas discovery by Mubadala Energy in South Andaman, Aceh, be processed onshore at the Arun Special Economic Zone (SElar) in Lhokseumawe.

“Regarding downstreaming, the Governor of Aceh conveyed to me that Aceh should not merely be a spectator when a massive gas discovery occurs within Aceh’s territory,” said the Head of BPMA, Nasri Djalal, in Banda Aceh on Thursday.

Nasri Djalal made the statement following a meeting with the Governor of Aceh to discuss the Mubadala Energy gas discovery, which has become a significant topic of discussion among the Acehnese public.

Nasri noted that regarding the Mubadala gas find, the Governor of Aceh has sent a letter to the Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources (ESDM) containing two specific requests concerning the processing of the gas.

“The Governor of Aceh’s letter to the Minister of ESDM contains two requests: first, that the gas processing should not utilise an FPSO at sea, but rather an onshore receiving facility (ORF) within the Arun SEZ,” he said.

The second request, Nasri continued, is for the Governor to ensure that an allocation of the Mubadala gas is available for use in Aceh. Additionally, there is a request for a temporary delay of the Plan of Development (PoD) or planning documents, as differences in opinion persist between the central government and the Aceh provincial government.

Regarding these requests from Aceh, the Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources has not yet provided any response as to whether the Aceh government’s demands will be approved.