Bahlil: Teluk Bintuni oil and gas facilities successfully protected from forest fires
Energy and Mineral Resources (ESDM) Minister Bahlil Lahadalia has stated that oil and gas (migas) facilities which were briefly threatened by forest and land fires (karhutla) in Teluk Bintuni Regency, West Papua, have been successfully protected.
“Yesterday’s fire came very close, very close indeed. We managed to handle it in Bintuni, at BP. Alhamdulillah, I am grateful to God that it was brought under control,” said Bahlil when met after a working meeting with Commission XII of the Indonesian House of Representatives (DPR RI) at the Parliament Complex in Senayan, Jakarta, on Monday.
Teluk Bintuni, West Papua, is the location of the Tangguh LNG Refinery, which is currently the largest liquefied natural gas refinery in Indonesia. The refinery is operated by the British oil and gas company BP together with its partners and is a national strategic project.
“In Bintuni, if we had been late, it would have been disastrous. But Alhamdulillah, it has now been brought under control,” said Bahlil.
In addition to Bintuni, Bahlil said that other ESDM facilities located in areas affected by forest and land fires, such as oil and gas facilities in Kalimantan, have been monitored and are safe from the fires.
“In Kalimantan, it is clear,” said Bahlil.
The National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) has strengthened efforts to tackle forest and land fires in Teluk Bintuni Regency, West Papua, by deploying a water-bombing helicopter which has cumulatively carried out 69 water drops.
Acting Head of the BNPB Disaster Data, Information and Communication Centre, Berton SP Panjaitan, explained in a statement in Jakarta on Saturday that the water-bombing operation was carried out in two sorties on Friday (28/8).
From the results of the firefighting efforts, Berton explained, no flames were found at either location, although thin plumes of smoke from the remnants of the fire were still visible. This condition indicates that heat or embers remain beneath the vegetation cover, so repeated monitoring and handling are still required to prevent the fire from spreading again.
Cumulatively, BNPB’s air operation support in Teluk Bintuni has reached three sorties with a total of 69 water-bombing runs, or approximately 69,000 litres of water.