LNG team heading to China

JAKARTA (JP): Minister of Mines and Energy Kuntoro Mangkusubroto and president of state oil and gas company Pertamina Martiono Hadianto will travel soon to China to market liquefied natural gas (LNG) produced at Tangguh LNG plant in Irian Jaya.

Martiono said on Thursday they would meet with Chinese officials during the marketing tour.

"We shall do it because our competitors from countries like Australia have also involved their top government officials in marketing their LNG to China," Martiono said.

He did not disclose the trip schedule.

The Tangguh gas fields, which are owned by Atlantic Richfield Indonesia Inc. (ARII), a subsidiary of the United States oil and gas company Atlantic Richfield Company (ARCO), British Gas and several partners, is believed to contain 18.3 trillion cubic feet (tcf) of proven and probable natural gas reserves.

All LNG producers in the region are turning their attention to China as a prospective purchaser following weak demand in regular customers like Korea, Japan and Taiwan.

China recently announced it would need three million tons of LNG by 2003 for its power plants. (jsk)