Pertamina opens office in Iraq

Pertamina opens office in Iraq

JAKARTA: Indonesia's national oil and gas company Pertamina
opened an office in Iraq last month and expects to start oil and
gas exploration in the country early next year, an official said
on Monday.

Pertamina's President Director Ariffi Nawawi told reporters
the company will invest around US$20 million during the
exploration stage.

Last year, Iraq's former government awarded Pertamina the
Western Desert block, which is estimated to have 3 million
barrels of crude oil.

The U.S.-led military invasion into Iraq that toppled Saddam
Hussein delayed Pertamina's plan to start exploration in the
country in March.

Pertamina is also keen on exploring the Tuba Block, which is
estimated to hold larger oil reserves than the Western Desert
Block. --Dow Jones