Repsol To Kick Off Seismic Survey On Cendrawasih Bay II Block

abarrelfull wrote on 29 Mar 2012 10:45
Tags: asia indonesia repsol upstream

Latest News

• Want a weekly review of refining news?

• This Week in Refining
• RSS Feed

Repsol Exploracion, the operator of the Cendrawasih Bay II Block, is slated to start its 2,700 km-2D-seismic survey in mid-march 2012.

As part of the preparation for the survey, Indonesia’s Upstream Oil and Gas Executive Agency (BPMIGAS) and Repsol already carried out several familiarization activities in Papua Province’s Supiori and Biak regencies, as well as Yapen Islands from February 27 to March 2, 2012.

Supiori Regent, Frederik Menufandu, said the local administration and residents had long waited for the upstream oil and gas business to arrive in their region. Basically, he said further, his administration supported the 2D-seismic survey activity in the Cendrawasih Bay II Block. “We hope the exploration activity would discover oil and gas reserves,” Frederik said.

Positive responses were also expressed by Biak Numfor Deputy Regent, Alimuddin Sake. The familiarization activities, he said, should also be carried out in districts and villages around the operational area, so the residents could be aware and support the program.
Third Assistant of Yapen Islands, Jan Alex Kiriweno, on the other hand, asked the upstream oil and gas industry to optimize local potentials. According to him, the exploration activity is expected to successfully discover oil and gas reserves with economical values, which could bring positive impacts to the local economy and community development.

Repsol’s Senior Geophycist, Zulfikar Imran, explained that the familiarization activities were intended to spread the information to the local administration and people, as well as all related stake holders. These activities, he went on, would be continued to the district and village levels, in which fishermen groups, indigenous elders and nearby residents would be involved.

Otniel Lodewyk Wafom, operational staff at BPMIGAS Liaison Office for Papua and Maluku Areas, said that when compared to its neighboring West Papua Province, upstream oil and gas activities in the Supiori Regency, Biak Numfori Regency and Yapen Islands were considered new. Thus, the familiarization campaign is the right platform to harmonize the perceptions on the upstream oil and gas industry, particularly on oil and gas exploration and exploitation activities.

Exploration activities, Otniel said further, required a long time – from around six to ten years, which would be spent for proving oil and gas reserves in the area. Therefore, as a starting point, the data recording through the undersea 2D-seismic survey is expected to secure supports from all parties, so it can give results as expected, in which oil and gas potentials could be estimated accurately. (ALF)

• Repsol To Kick Off Seismic Survey On Cendrawasih Bay II Block

---