Pertamina pledges to quickly fix pipeline
Pertamina pledges to quickly fix pipeline
A'an Suryana, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
State-owned oil and gas company Pertamina vowed on Friday to
complete in three months the repair work on the gas pipeline
transporting natural gas from Kangean island in the Madura
Straits to East Java's mainland.
The repair work will start in November and is expected to be
completed in January next year, said Pertamina's upstream deputy
director Eteng A. Salam.
According to Eteng, the repair work will focus on how to
install new buffers to strengthen the pipeline's fixture on the
seabed.
"The installment (of several additional buffers) is badly
needed, because, based on the latest inspection, the pipeline
no longer touches the seabed in some places," Eteng was quoted by
Antara news agency as saying.
According to Eteng, the pipeline no longer touched the seabed
at places between Raas and Kangean islands due to erosion caused
by strong currents.
In anticipation of trouble, London-based BP Plc, which
operates gas fields in Kangean and supplies it through the
pipeline, declared on Wednesday the area around the troubled
section of the pipeline as a danger zone. The area measures 500
square kilometers.
BP has called on all vessels to avoid the area, citing the
high risk of fire and explosion.
The 28-diameter-inch pipeline stretches 440 kilometers from
Kangean to East Java's mainland, passing through a 370-km
offshore section.
The pipeline supplies gas to vital companies such as state-
owned electricity company PT PLN, state-owned fertilizer firm PT
Petrokimia Gresik, and state-owned gas distribution and
transmission company PT Gas Negara.
BP further clarified Thursday's report by The Post that the
strong currents had ripped loose a section of the underwater
pipeline.
"The pipelines have not been damaged yet," company vice
president Satya W. Yudha, said in a statement.
BP is the largest gas supplier to East Java with a total
supply of 200 million cubic feet of gas per day (MMCFD). Gas
supply to the province totals 260 MMCFD, while, according to the
industry data, demand reaches 400 MMCFD.
Meanwhile, Eteng said the repair work might reduce the volume
of gas transported to the East Java mainland, as the work would
require a reduction in gas pressure.
However, this might not pose a problem as other gas suppliers
in the province, such as South Korean firm Kodeco and local firm
Lapindo Brantas were ready to offset the shortage in gas supplies
to the mainland.
"The supply of gas to East Java area is assured while the
repairs are in process," said Eteng.
Meanwhile, PLN president director Eddie Widdiono acknowledged
that the pipeline trouble had once disrupted power generation at
its 750-Megawatt Gresik power plant.
"The power plant was forced to be temporarily shut down after
the pipeline trouble. However, shortly after that, the operation
of the power plant returned to normal," Eddie told the Post on
Friday.
A senior official at the Ministry of Energy and Mineral
Resources Luluk Sumiarso asserted that the gas shortage would not
obstruct electricity supply to the public.
"There is always a contingency plan. Pertamina has readied oil
fuel for the power plants in East Java," he told the Post.