RI eyes China's LNG market

JAKARTA (JP): President of state oil and gas company Pertamina Martiono Hadianto said on Wednesday he would leave for China to market the liquefied natural gas (LNG) to be produced by American energy company Atlantic Richfield Company (ARCO) in the Wiriagar area of Irian Jaya.

"I reported to the president that I will be visiting China to see about the possibility of selling Arco's LNG there," Martiono said after emerging from a meeting with President B.J. Habibie.

According to Martiono, China has a huge demand for clean energy.

He said he would leave for China on Saturday for a four-day visit, during which he would meet with the country's energy and development planning officials.

Arco and partners have found a proven and probable gas reserve of 18.7 trillion cubic feet (tcf) in the area. (prb/jsk)