Medan in short of gas

MEDAN, North Sumatra: Liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) shortages have forced six factories in the Medan Industrial Estate to stop operation, a local official said on Wednesday.

LPG consumption in the industrial estate is estimated at six million cubic feet a day, but the supply has dropped to two million cubic feet a day.

The gas crisis has happened because production in oil fields in Pangkalan Susu in Langkat has progressively dropped naturally, according to Uji Subroto S., chief of the local state-owned PT Perusahaan Gas Negara (PGN) which control gas distribution.

Uji said that gas production from all oil fields across North Sumatra managed by state oil company Pertamina had dropped from 90 million cubic feet per day to 83 million cubic feet.

The decline in production has compelled Pertamina to slash gas supplies to North Sumatra from 16 million cubic feet a day to only 12 million cubic feet a day.

"North Sumatra's minimum LPG consumption is 16,000 cubic feet a day," Uji said.

Six factories in the Medan Industrial Estate have stopped production since Aug. 20, 2001. They are PT Soci, PT Dynomogi, PT Healthcare Glovindo, PT Industri Pembungkus Internasional (IPI), PT Cocoa Venture and PT Sinar Oleocemical International. (42)