Efficient gas production needed

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)