PHE OSES Launches Indonesia's First Offshore Chemical Enhanced Oil Recovery

REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA - PT Pertamina Hulu Energi OSES (PHE OSES) has officially begun implementing Chemical Enhanced Oil Recovery (CEOR) at the offshore Rama Field, Southeast Sumatra Work Area (WK SES). The milestone was marked with a first polymer injection ceremony held at the RDTX Square Multipurpose Hall in Jakarta on Wednesday (8/7/2026).

The ceremony was attended by Head of SKK Migas Djoko Siswanto, Commissioner of PT Pertamina (Persero) Raden Adjeng Sondaryani, President Director of PT Pertamina (Persero) Simon Aloysius Mantiri, Deputy President Director of PT Pertamina (Persero) Oki Muraza, Commissioners of Pertamina Hulu Energi Nanang Untung and Nepos MT Pakpahan, President Director of Pertamina Hulu Energi Sunaryanto, Director of Development and Production of Pertamina Hulu Energi Rachmat Hidajat, General Manager of PHE OSES Antonius Dwi Arinto, and President Director of PT Elnusa Litta Indriya Ariesca.

Before entering the implementation stage, the project went through a comprehensive series of studies and evaluations, covering subsurface studies, laboratory analysis, offshore engineering and operational design, as well as economic assessments and risk management. The polymer-based CEOR also underwent an assessment and review process involving EOR experts from SKK Migas and Pertamina to ensure implementation readiness in terms of technical, operational and safety aspects.

CEOR at the Rama Field is not only a production-oriented innovation, but also a means of obtaining operational data, technical learning and technology performance validation as a foundation for full-field CEOR implementation in the future.

In its execution, polymer flooding technology is applied by injecting a polymer solution into the reservoir to improve sweep efficiency. As a result, oil that was previously difficult to produce can be pushed towards production wells more optimally. This method is one of the EOR technologies used to increase the recovery factor at an advanced stage in oil fields that have entered the mature phase.

“A mature field is not a finished asset; it requires innovation and new approaches. Today, through Chemical Enhanced Oil Recovery (CEOR), we are giving our reservoir a new form of ‘therapy’, extending its productive life, and proving that assets decades old can still contribute greatly to national energy security,” said Simon Aloysius Mantiri, President Director of PT Pertamina (Persero).

The polymer injection at the Rama Field is a symbol of a transformation in thinking. National energy security is built not only by discovering new reserves, but by maximising every asset through the application of innovation and technology.

“In the end, technology is not the goal. Technology is our way of safeguarding the nation’s trust. The trust to ensure energy remains available. The trust to strengthen national energy security. The trust to ensure Pertamina continues to play its role as the Pillar of Indonesian Energy,” said Simon.

Djoko Siswanto, Head of SKK Migas, said the maiden polymer injection carried out by PHE OSES at the Rama Field is the first offshore CEOR innovation in Indonesia. “This moment marks an important milestone in the application of EOR technology to optimise oil production from offshore oil and gas fields that have entered the mature phase. We hope CEOR can deliver a good recovery factor and have an impact on increasing national oil lifting,” said Djoko.

PHE OSES targets the full benefits of this project to be realised by 2030. The success of this CEOR implementation is expected to serve as an important reference for EOR technology development and open up opportunities for applying chemical EOR technology at other offshore fields in Indonesia, thereby supporting increased national oil and gas production while strengthening national energy security.

For the Pertamina Group, the implementation of CEOR demonstrates the company’s commitment to delivering reliable, safe and sustainable technological innovation, as well as making a tangible contribution to national energy security.