Mobil starts gas production

JAKARTA (JP): Mobil Oil Indonesia Inc., a production sharing contractor of state oil and gas company Pertamina, has begun gas production at its North Sumatra Offshore (NSO) "A" gas field in the Strait of Malacca.

The spokesman of Pertamina's foreign contractor management body, Sidick Nitikusuma, said in a statement on Tuesday the start of gas production was officially marked by Pertamina president Martiono Hadianto and Mobil Oil Indonesia president and general manager RI Wilson on Sept. 29.

Sidick said NSO "A" gas field would produce 450 million cubic feet of natural gas per day to feed Pertamina's Arun liquefied natural gas plant in Aceh, some 100 kilometers away from the gas field.

Mobil Oil Indonesia, a subsidiary of American oil and gas firm Mobil-Exxon, discovered NSO "A" gas field in 1972. (jsk)