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