JAKARTA, RAKYAT NEWS – The Indonesian Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources  Arifin Tasrif has announced a plan to develop six new oil fields that are projected to increase Indonesia’s oil production by approximately 100,000 barrels per day (BOPD). The new fields are expected to come online between 2024 and 2028.

“The six new oil fields are anticipated to start production at different times, with a total projected output of about 100,000 barrels per day by 2028,” said Arifin in a statement on Sunday.

The new fields include Forel, with an estimated production of 10,000 BOPD starting in Q4 2024; Ande Ande Lumut, with 20,000 BOPD expected by Q1 2028; Singa Laut Kuda Laut, which should produce 20,313 BOPD by Q4 2026; Hidayah, with 2,996 BOPD starting in Q1 2027; BUIC, estimated to produce 19,206 BOPD by Q3 2024; and OO-OX, with 25,276 BOPD projected by Q1 2026.

Arifin highlighted that international sanctions on Russia pose a challenge, particularly affecting the Singa Laut Kuda Laut project, which is now expected to start production later than initially planned.

In addition to developing new fields, the Ministry of ESDM is focusing on enhancing the recovery rate of existing wells. “We are aiming to increase the recovery rate from 30% to 50% with the help of Pertamina,” Arifin added.

As part of its short-term strategy, the government plans to reactivate between 1,000 and 1,500 inactive wells annually. This effort is intended to boost oil production and reduce dependency on imports, thus strengthening the nation’s energy security.

Arifin emphasized that these measures are crucial for improving the national oil production capacity and ensuring sustainable energy supply for Indonesia. (Uki Ruknuddin)