The Sepinggan Field of Pertamina in East Kalimantan- Photo courtesy of Heru Suparto
PT Pertamina (Persero) is the national oil company of Indonesia, and also the largest company in Indonesia. It is the parent holding company of all the many Pertamina subsidiary companies.
Pertamina is big. As an integrated oil company, Pertamina involves in oil and gas exploration and production, refining and petrochemicals, gas distribution through pipelines, distribution of fuels, and lube oil to every corner of the land. It is also a producer of renewable energy such as geothermal energy.
On the upstream side, Pertamina owns many oil fields and work areas and has vast and expansive oil exploration and production operations in Indonesia. It also has oil and gas interests in several other countries.
Pertamina’s upstream oil and gas interests are under the wings of PT Pertamina Hulu Energi (PHE). It is the sub-holding company of PT Pertamina (Persero) in charge of its entire upstream oil and gas assets and operations in Indonesia and overseas.
The current CEO of PT Pertamina Hulu Energi is Budiman Parhusip.
Pertamina has come a long way. Its assets include oil and gas assets that Pertamina itself develops, assets it acquired from BPM (Bataafse Petroleum Maatschappij), assets it acquired from international companies upon the expiry of their production sharing contracts, and its oil and gas assets overseas.
Pertamina grew significantly in 2021 as it acquired the huge and prolific Rokan block from Chevron in Sumatera.
As Pertamina’s oil fields are located in many islands of Indonesia covering a vast area of more than 113,000 Km2, its assets and operations are divided into five regions. Each region is further divided into zones.
Here are the five regions including the zones under each region and their leadership teams.
REGION 1- Sumatera
Pertamina’s assets in Sumatera fall under Region 1 and they are managed under PT Pertamina Hulu Rokan (PHR).
Consisting of four zones, Pertamina Hulu Rokan manages the following assets:
In Zone 1 – North Sumatera Offshore (NSO), North Sumatera Basin (NSB), Rantau, Pangkalan Susu, West Glagah Kambuna, Siak, Kampar, Lirik, Jambi, Jambi Merang, Jabung
In Zone 2 – North Rokan (Rokan Utara)
In Zone 3 – South Rokan (Rokan Selatan)
In Zone 4 – Ogan Komering, Raja Tempirai, Ramba, Corridor, Prabumulih, Limau, Pendopo, Adera
Here is the current leadership team stewarding Pertamina’s exploration and production activities in Region 1.
Novy Hendri – VP Exploration
Tri Sasongko – VP Development and Drilling
Junizar Harman – VP Operation and Production
Saptiadi Nugroho – VP Business Support
Ani Surakhman – General Manager of Zone 1
Ahmad Miftah – General Manager of Zone 4
REGION 2 – Java and Natuna
Region 2 covers Pertamina upstream activities in West Java and the Natuna Sea, and they are managed under PT Pertamina Eksplorasi dan Produksi (PEP).
Here are the zones in Region 2 and the assets under each zone.
Zone 5 – Offshore North West Java (PHE ONWJ), Abar, Anggursi
Zone 6 – Offshore South East Sumatera (PHE OSES)
Zone 7 – Tambun, Subang, Jatibarang, East Natuna, The Natuna Sea Block A
Here is the new leadership team of Region 2.
Muharram Jaya – VP Exploration
Merry Luciawaty – VP Development and Drilling
Wisnu Hindadari – VP Operation and Productions
Bongbongan Tampubolon – VP Business Support
Achmad Agus Miftakhurrohman – General Manager of Zone 5
Cosmas Supriatna – General Manager of Zone 6
Astri Pujianto – General Manager of Zone 7
REGION 3 – Kalimantan
Region 3 assets and operations are located in Kalimantan, and PT Pertamina Hulu Indonesia (PHI) is the operating holding company of Pertamina in Region 3.
Here are the zones in Region 3 and the assets in each zone:
Zone 8 – Pertamina Hulu Mahakam (PHM), Pertamina West Ganal (PHWG), East Sepinggan
Zone 9 – Pertamina Hulu Sanga Sanga (PHSS), Sangata, Maratua, Tanjung
Zone 10 – Pertamina Hulu Kalimantan Timur (PHKT), Bunyu, Tarakan, Nunukan, East Ambalat, Simenggaris, Ambalat, Bukat
Here is the leadership team supervising Pertamina’s exploration and production activities in Region 3.
Bayu Giriansyah – VP Exploration
Arief Prasetyo Handoyo – VP Development and Drilling
Rachmad Wibowo – VP Production
Satya Nugraha – VP Business Support
Agus Amperianto – General Manager of Zone 8
Andri Haribowo – General manager of Zone 9
Raam Krisna – General Manager of Zone 10
REGION 4 – East Java and Eastern Part of Indonesia
Pertamina’s oil and assets located in the eastern part of Indonesia and East Java are under Region 4.
PT Pertamina Eksplorasi dan Produksi Cepu (PEPC) is the operation holding company in charge of Region 4.
Here are the zones in Region 4 and their assets:
Zone 11 – Alas Dara Kemuning (PEPC ADK), Cepu, West Madura Offshore (PHE WMO), Randugunting, Sukowati, Poleng, Tuban East Java
Zone 12 – Jambaran Tiung Biru (JTB), Banyu Urip
Zone 13 – Donggi Matindok, Senoro Tolidi, Makassar Strait
Zone 14 – Papua, Salawati, Kepala Burung, Babar Selaru, Semai
Here is the current leadership team of Region 4.
Ali Sundja – VP Development and Drilling
Muhamad Arifin – VP Operation and Production
Fransiono Lazarus – VP Business Support
Dedy Syam – General Manager of Zone 11
Iman Nur Akbar – General Manager of Zone 13
Djudjuwanto General Manager of Zona 14
REGION 5 – International
Pertamina also has oil and gas interests in several countries outside Indonesia. Its international E&P operations and assets fall under Region 5 and they are under the management of PT Pertamina International Eksplorasi dan Produksi (PIEP).
Here are the zones of Region 5 and their locations:
Zone 15 – Algeria
Zone 16 – Iraq
Zone 17 – Malaysia
Here is the current leadership team supervising Pertamina’s international exploration and production activities.
Fuji Koesumadewi – VP Exploration
Yosi Hiroshiadi – VP Development and Drilling
Charles P. Sialagan – VP Operation and Production
Ria Noveria – VP Business Support
Edwil Suzandi – Country Manager in Algeria
The total daily oil and gas production of Pertamina in 2021 is 897,000 BOEPD according to Budiman Parhusip, CEO of PT Pertamina Hulu Energi.
Here is the breakdown of the oil and gas production in 2021.
The total daily oil production is 445,000 BOPD. This comprises 349,000 BOPD from Indonesia and 96,000 BOPD from operations outside of Indonesia.
Daily total gas production is 2615 MMSCFD. This comprises 2290 MMSCFD from Indonesia and 325 MMSCFD from operations outside of Indonesia.
Pertamina drilled 12 exploration and 350 development wells in 2021.
This article is adapted by Jamin Djuang – Chief Learning Officer of LDI Training – from information published by Pertamina and various other sources.
Fifty years ago, Union Oil of California (UNOCAL) along with its partner, INPEX, discovered the giant offshore oil field Attaka in East Kalimantan.
General Soeharto, the president of Indonesia at that time, then inaugurated the Attaka field and the Santan terminal on 22 January 1973.
In the early days of Attaka and the Santan terminal, there were many workers from the US and UK. Over time, they were gradually replaced by Indonesian workers.
Unocal operated the oil field for 25 years from its East Kalimantan headquarters located in Balikpapan. The Attaka field was subsequently acquired and operated by Chevron, and then by Pertamina Hulu Kalimantan Timur beginning on 25 October 2018.
At 50 years old, the field is still producing today.
Thousands of oil people – expatriates from many nations and Indonesians from every region – have visited and worked in the offshore facilities and the onshore Santan terminal including me.
I worked in the Attaka field as “Production Foreman” in 1980. I hope you like this snippet of the history of Attaka and the Santan terminal.
The photo showed the drilling activity at the West Seno field, the first deepwater field in Indonesia. The photo was taken by Dr. Tony Tirta.
The average crude oil production in Indonesia in 2018 is 803,000 barrels per day according to SKK Migas of Indonesia.
Here are the top ten crude oil-producing companies in Indonesia in 2018.
Chevron Pacific Indonesia – 209,000 BOPD
Chevron is the biggest oil producer in Indonesia in 2018 and has been a leading oil producer in Indonesia for more than 90 years. It started operating in Indonesia in 1924 under Standard Oil Company of California (SOCAL).
Chevron operated oilfields in Sumatera and East Kalimantan. It’s East Kalimantan assets came from the acquisition of Unocal in 2005. Chevron handed back all the assets in East Kalimantan to the Indonesia government on October 24, 2018, after 50 years of operation under Unocal and Chevron.
Currently, Chevron’s oil production comes mainly from the oil fields located in Riau, Sumatera under the Rokan Production Sharing Contract. The biggest oil field in the Rokan PSC is the Duri field which has been under steam-flood since 1985 and is one of the largest steam flood projects in the world. Minas is another giant oil field that Chevron discovered and operated in the Rokan Block.
ExxonMobil Cepu Ltd – 208,000 BOPD
ExxonMobil Cepu Ltd is the operator of the Cepu block located in Central Java and East Java. The Cepu Cooperation Contract (KKS) was signed on 17 September 2005 and will continue until 2035. ExxonMobil holds a 45% interest in the Cepu block.
ExxonMobil started exploration in 1999, and the oil from the Banyu Urip field started to flow in December 2008.
Pertamina EP – 79,000 BOPD
Pertamina EP operated 21 oil and gas fields located in various parts of Indonesia. These oilfields are managed under five asset groups based on their geographical locations.
Located in North Sumatera and some parts of South Sumatera, the Asset One oilfields include Rantau Field, Pangkalan Susu Field, Lirik Field, Jambi Field, dan Ramba Field.
Located in South Sumatera, the Asset Two oilfields include Prabumulih Field, Pendopo Field, Limau Field dan Adera Field.
Located in West Jawa, the oilfields included in Asset Three are Subang Field, Jatibarang Field dan Tambun Field.
Located in Central and East Jawa, the Asset Four oilfields include Cepu Field, Poleng Field dan Matindok Field.
Located in the eastern part of Indonesia, the oilfields in Asset Five are Sangatta Field, Bunyu Field, Tanjung Field, Sangasanga Field, Tarakan Field dan Papua Field.
Pertamina Hulu Mahakam – 42,000 BOPD
Pertamina Hulu Mahakam became the operator of the oil and gas fields located in the Mahakam Block on 1 January 2018. The fields were previously discovered and operated by Total along with Inpex as its partner. They acquired the block in 1966.
Several giant oil and gas fields are located in this block such as the Handil field, the Tunu field, and the Peciko field.
Pertamina Hulu Energi OSES (Offshore South East Sumatera) – 30,000 BOPD
Pertamina Hulu Energi OSES became the operator of the oil fields in Block South East Sumatera on September 6, 2018. The fields were previously operated by CNOOC, China National Offshore Oil Company.
Pertamina Hulu Energi ONWJ – 29,000 BOPD
Pertamina Hulu Energi ONWJ (PHE ONWJ) is currently the operator of the Offshore North West Java (ONWJ) production sharing contract following the change of company ownership from BP to Pertamina in July 2009.
The contract area, located in the Java Sea, covers an area of approximately 8,300 square kilometers – stretching from the North of Cirebon to Kepulauan Seribu.
The giant Ardjuna field is located in this Production Sharing Contract area. It was discovered by ARCO – Atlantic Richfield Company – in 1969 and operated by ARCO until BP – British Petroleum – acquired ARCO in 2000.
The production facilities consist of 670 wells, 170 shallow water platforms, 40 processing and service facilities and some 1,600 kilometers of sub-sea pipeline.
Medco EP Natuna – 16,000 BOPD
Medco EP Natuna, a subsidiary of Medco Energi, is the operator of the South Natuna Sea Block B. The field was initially operated by ConocoPhillips until Medco Energi acquired it in 2016.
Besides producing oil, Medco EP Natuna also supplies gas to Singapore using a 656 KM long 28” subsea pipeline.
Petronas Carigali (Ketapang) – 15,000 BOPD
Petronas Carigali Ketapang operates the Bukit Tua Field located in the Ketapang Block in East Java. Bukit Tua is an oil field but with a significant amount of associated gas. The offshore field is situated at a water depth of about 57 m.
The production facilities consist of wellhead platforms, an FPSO – Floating Production, Storage and Offloading – and onshore receiving facilities (ORF) in Gresik.
PetroChina International Jabung – 14,000 BOPD
PetroChina International Jabung operates the prolific Jabung Block located in Jambi in Central Sumatera.
The company produces crude oil, condensate, LPG and gas. PetroChina supplies gas to Singapore using a 450 KM long subsea pipeline.
An interesting aspect of the block is that PetroChina discovered the fractured basement rock contains a significant quantity of gas that can flow at significant rates.
Pertamina Hulu Kalimantan Timur – 13,000 BOPD
Pertamina Hulu Kalimantan Timur operates the East Kalimantan-Attaka Work Area. Chevron was the previous operator of the work area until it handed over the operatorship to Pertamina on October 25, 2018.
Attaka, the famous giant oil field is located in this block. The Attaka field was discovered and operated by Unocal until Chevron acquired it in 2005.
The oil fields in this work area are in the late declining phase. Around one billion barrels of oil and 3 TCF of gas have been produced from this work area.
Attaka central platforms from left to right: Wellhead platform, Central Processing Platform, Compression Platform, and Quarter Platform
The Attaka Field Discovery
Attaka field, a giant offshore oil field located 12 miles from the shore of East Kalimantan in Indonesia was discovered by Union Oil of California (UNOCAL) in August 1970. This giant oil field having 1023 MMBOE of recoverable reserves is the first commercial oil field discovered in offshore Kalimantan.
General Soeharto, the president of Indonesia at that time, inaugurated the Attaka field and the Santan terminal on 22 January 1973.
Santan terminal is the onshore complex where the crude oil from the Attaka field is processed and stored before it is exported by oil tankers. Santan terminal is also where the produced gas is processed before it is sent to Badak LNG for liquefaction.
Unocal along with its 50-50 partner, Inpex, operated the Attaka field until it was acquired by Chevron in August 2005. Later on, Pertamina Hulu Kalimantan Timur assumed the operatorship of the field on 25 October 2018 when the production sharing contract expired.
Interesting Facts About the Attaka Field
Two years after its discovery, the Attaka field started producing oil in November 1972, making it the first offshore field in Kalimantan.
Following the first discovery well, the Attaka Well 1A, seven appraisal wells were drilled to assess to size and potential of the hydrocarbon accumulation.
The huge Attaka reservoir, formed in the very prolific Kutei basin, is a faulted anticline. Its areal extent of oil accumulation is nearly 10 square miles. Attaka field is one of five giant oil fields discovered in the Kutei basin.
Initially, the Attaka field consisted of six wellhead platforms producing oil from 52 wells, and the central platforms comprised the Quarter Platform, Processing Platform, and Gas Compression Platform. After 1980, additional platforms and wells were added to maintain production and maximize the hydrocarbon recovery. It eventually had a total of 22 platforms and 109 wells, five of which are subsea wells.
Five subsea wells were completed in 1981-1984 to produce the oil accumulation in areas out of reach of the existing remote platforms. These are the first subsea completions in Indonesia and in Asia.
Initially, its produced associated gas was flared. Finally, the flaring stopped with the completion of the Badak LNG plant in 1977. Unocal, Total Indonesie, and Huffco were the gas suppliers to the Badak LNG plant.
Attaka wells have very high permeability. It is as high as 5 Darcy in some wells.
Attaka field’s daily oil production peaked at 116,950 BOPD in December 1977 and gas production peaked at 174 MMSCFD in October 1980.
A significant milestone was reached when cumulative oil production of 600 million barrels was recorded at 6:42 PM on March 7, 2001. Cumulative gas production in that same year was 1.3 trillion SCF.
Attaka field has more than 50 sands with variable oil reserves at depths between 2800 and 7600 feet. Reservoir sand thickness ranges from 5 to 100 feet. A multiple zone completion method using dual tubing strings and multiple packers was selected to produce them economically. This method allows the engineers the flexibility to select from which of the 2 to 4 perforated zones in each well they would like to produce
Decommissioning of Platform EB
The Attaka field has been producing oil and gas for 50 years and its production has been declining for the past 30 years. The field is currently producing less than 5000 BOPD.
Finally, the Attaka field’s EB Platform was decommissioned in November 2022. It is the first decommissioned offshore oil platform in Indonesia.
Interestingly, the EB Platform was not the oldest platform in the Attaka field. In fact, it was one of the latest platforms built in Attaka. Platform EB was built in 2000 to replace Platform E that was burnt down due to the blowout of Well E-20 in August 1997.
The EB platform was built to accommodate the drilling of seven 7 fully insurance-reimbursable wells to tap reserves estimated at 3.25 million barrels of oil and 18.5 BSCF of gas.
Jamin Djuang – A former Production Supervisor of the Attaka Field in 1980.
