Efficient gas production needed

JAKARTA (JP): Global gas producers need to develop more efficient ways of producing and distributing natural gas, International Gas Union (IGU) president Hans Jorgen Rasmusen said yesterday.

He said the increasing demand for natural gas made this necessary.

Rasmusen, who is also vice president of Danish Oil and Natural Gas company, said development in natural gas technology would be discussed at the world gas conference to be held in Copenhagen in June this year.

He was in Jakarta to promote the conference and encourage Indonesia's participation.

Rasmusen said global consumption of natural gas in the year 2000 would be around 3,000 billion cubic meters a year. Consumption would rise to 3,600 billion cubic meters in 2003, and would be between 4,000 and 6,000 billion cubic meters in the year 2010.

"There is a 3 to 5 percent growth rate per year," he said.

Other topics to be discussed at the Copenhagen conference include exploration, production and burner technology.

"There is a tremendous interest in the conference by world gas companies," Rasmusen said.

The IGU, which was established in 1930, held its last World Gas Conference in Milan in 1994. The conference attracted 4,000 delegates.

The Indonesian Gas Association, which is a member of the IGU, has 74 corporate and individual members.

Indonesian Gas Association president Hadi Daryono, who is also junior general director of state-owned oil company PT Pertamina, said the Indonesian Gas Association aimed to exchange information on technology, production, transmission and distribution of natural gas among its members.

He said Indonesia had a gas potential reserve of 267 trillion standard cubic feet, of which 115 trillion standard cubic feet were proven.

He said gas production in Indonesia is 8.5 billion cubic feet per day.

"Indonesian gas reserves will last for 40 years at the current production level," he said, adding that it could be longer.

He said 50 percent of the country's gas production was exported to South Korea, Japan and Taiwan, 45 percent was used domestically including for fertilizer production and power generation by state electricity company PT PLN, and 5 percent by state oil company PT Pertamina for liquefied petroleum gas. (09)