Pertamina's 'Unconventional' Oil Field Could Produce 40,000 Barrels Per Day

PT Pertamina Hulu Rokan (PHR) projects that oil production from unconventional oil and gas sources in the Rokan Block, Riau, could reach a peak of 40,000 to 50,000 barrels per day. The development of unconventional resources is seen as a new strategy for the company to maintain domestic production and energy availability amid the challenges of ageing oil wells. The unconventional wells currently being developed by PHR are the Gulamo DET-1 and Kelok DET-1 wells in the Rokan Block. PHR President Director Muhammad Arifin explained that the company is currently preparing the operational stages to process the reserves in these newly discovered fields. He noted that the company is also working to slow the natural production decline in conventional fields. The massive production potential is based on the discovery of 2C resources totalling nearly 740 million barrels of oil equivalent from the Gulamo and Kelok unconventional resources. Unlike conventional fields, extracting these resources requires special technology due to the characteristics of the oil, which is trapped in sticky rock formations. PHR plans to begin drilling the first appraisal well in December 2026 after obtaining the Production Sharing Contract approval from the government. If the appraisal phase is successful, the company plans to add eight demonstration wells the following year to prove the effectiveness of multi-stage fracturing technology.