Police Chief guarantees security and comfort for investment in Aceh

Aceh Police Chief, Inspector General Marzuki Ali Basyah, has guaranteed security and comfort for investors in Aceh, dispelling all negative issues about the province following the gas discovery in South Andaman by Mubadala Energy. “I need to guarantee this to dispel the negative issues about Aceh. If necessary, every investor should come to the Aceh Police to verify for themselves,” said Inspector General Marzuki in a statement in Banda Aceh on Wednesday. This affirmation was delivered in response to questions regarding investment security in Aceh, which arose during a meeting on the revision of the Plane of Development (PoD) for the Andaman block gas management with the Aceh government and other stakeholders. Regarding security in Aceh, it has also been proven to be the best in Sumatra. Aceh’s record as the safest is based on data published by the 2025 Democracy and Social Security Index (IDSD), the National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN), and scores from Goodstats. The Police Chief stated that security and comfort in Aceh have been proven by facts and data. “There is no need to doubt it. The Aceh Police support the Aceh government’s development programmes,” he said. The Aceh government is currently preparing a PoD revision related to the management scheme for the Tengkulo South Andaman gas field discovery by Mubadala Energy, to be discussed with SKK Migas. This revision aims to align the project with Aceh’s development direction, as per the vision and mission of the Governor and Deputy Governor. The revision is being pursued because the Aceh government wants a scheme where gas and condensate are channelled directly onshore, then processed using the Arun Special Economic Zone facilities in Lhokseumawe. This would allow the Andaman block gas management to have a multiplier effect on the economy through the growth of industrial sectors and the opening of other business opportunities. Meanwhile, the Aceh Government PoD Team, represented by Prof Dr Mahidin, stated that discussions on the PoD for the Andaman Block gas discovery have been held several times with SKK Migas and Mubadala Energy. In several meetings, Mubadala Energy raised concerns about the security and comfort of investing onshore in Aceh. “Safety and comfort are a single unit. They questioned it and used it as a reason to process the oil and gas offshore,” said Mahidin. Regarding this, the Chair of Commission III of the Aceh Legislative Council, Aisyah Ismail, said that if the issue is security and comfort in Aceh, it is merely an excuse to find a weak point, when in fact Aceh is very safe. “The proof is, Medco operates in the upstream oil and gas sector in the middle of the East Aceh forest. They are safe and peaceful there,” she asserted. The Governor of Aceh has also written to the Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources requesting that the processing of gas found by Mubadala Energy not be carried out via a Floating Production, Storage, and Offloading (FPSO) scheme offshore, but rather through an Onshore Receiving Facility (ORF) at the Arun Special Economic Zone in Lhokseumawe. In the letter, the Governor also requested that the allocation of Mubadala’s gas be used for industry in Aceh, and sought a temporary postponement of the PoD due to ongoing differences of opinion between the central and Aceh governments.