Bahlil Orders BPMA Chief to Boost Lifting at Andaman Block

Energy and Mineral Resources (ESDM) Minister Bahlil Lahadalia has instructed the Head of the Aceh Oil and Gas Management Agency (BPMA), Mawardi Nur, to increase oil and gas lifting at the Andaman Block. “Increase lifting at Andaman,” Bahlil said when met at the ESDM Ministry office in Jakarta on Wednesday. The statement was made following Mawardi Nur’s inauguration as Head of BPMA at the Chairul Saleh Building, Secretariat General Office of the ESDM Ministry, replacing Nasri Djalal. In addition to ordering the BPMA Head to raise lifting at the Andaman Block, Bahlil also requested that he increase production from all Indonesian oil sources located in the Aceh region. “Increase all our oil block sources in the Aceh region,” Bahlil stated. Mubadala Energy has discovered gas reserves offshore in the Andaman Block. The initial production target for Mubadala Energy is around 300 MMSCFD (million standard cubic feet per day). Regarding this discovery, Aceh Governor Muzakir Manaf has written to President Prabowo Subianto and Minister Bahlil Lahadalia concerning the management of the oil and gas find in the Tangkulo South Andaman field by Mubadala Energy. Aceh’s requests include that the gas not be processed via a Floating Production, Storage and Offloading (FPSO) scheme offshore, but rather through an onshore receiving facility (ORF) at the Arun Lhokseumawe Special Economic Zone (KEK). Additionally, there is a request for the gas allocation to be used for industries in Aceh, along with a request for a temporary postponement of the Plan of Development (PoD) document.