To boost the utilization of natural gas for domestic purposes, the government has prepared nine gas infrastructure projects with a total investment value of Rp 77.93 trillion US$8.5 billion.

The projects, which are included in the work plan of downstream oil and gas regulator BPH Migas, are estimated to be completed in six years, says BPH Migas committee member A. Qoyum Tjandranegara.

“Gas exports have long caused severe losses for the country. We export a cheap energy source while we import the expensive one [oil-based fuel] in exchange,” he told House of Representatives Commission VII in Jakarta on Wednesday.

Indonesia’s gas is exported to China and Korea for $3.88 per million British thermal unit (mmbtu), while the country’s industries have found difficulty in accessing the gas although they were willing to pay up to $7 per mmbtu, he continued.

Upstream oil and gas regulator BPMigas’s cites the 2011 natural gas supply contract as saying that 4,366 mmscfd, or 56.78 percent of the total sales of 7,688 mmscfd, would go to the domestic market with the remaining 43.22 percent, or about 3,322 mmscfd, earmarked for exports.

In 2010, the gas sold in the domestic market totaled 4,342.7 mmscfd, which was about 50.18 percent of the total sales of 8,654.29 mmscfd.

Qoyum said boosting the utilization of gas for domestic purposes was even tougher because the government did not provide subsidy for gas. Many other countries, except developed countries, provide a gas subsidy.

“The utilization of gas in the transportation sector has also declined. In 1984, we had 18 gas stations, now there are only 12,” he reported.

“If you ask the government why the gas isn’t utilized for domestic purposes, the answer is normative: Because the country lacks the infrastructure [to store and transport the gas],” he added.

In a bid to solve that problem, the government has introduced the nine projects. The projects are the Natuna-West Java pipeline, which can transport 1,200 million standard cubic feet per day (mmscfd) of gas; the East Kalimantan-East Java pipeline, which has a capacity of 900 mmscfd; the Cirebon-Semarang pipeline, whose capacity is 400 mmscfd; the South Sumatera-West Java (SSWJ) I and II compressor expansion with capacity 1,100 mmscfd; and Train 3 at the Tangguh liquefied natural gas (LNG) plant in Papua with a capacity of 534 mmscfd.

The remaining four projects are the floating storage and re-gasification unit (FSRU) in Belawan, North Sumatera; FSRU in Jakarta Bay, West Java; FSRU in Central Java; and compressed natural gas (CNG) trucks, mother and daughter stations.

There are also four additional projects: The Semarang-Surabaya pipeline, the SSWJ III pipeline, an LNG plant in Maluku and an LNG plant in Sulawesi. However, BPH Migas’s data does not reveal the investment value of those projects.

Indonesia’s gas users have called on the government to increase gas supply for them.

Harga jual rata-rata gas untuk domestik tercatat 60% lebih rendah dibandingkan harga jual rata-rata untuk gas ekspor.

Kepala Divisi Humas, Sekuriti dan Formalitas Badan Pelaksana Kegiatan Usaha Hulu Minyak dan Gas Bumi (BP Migas) Gde Pradnyana mengungkapkan harga jual rata-rata gas untuk domestik dalam kurun waktu 2009-2011 tercatat hanya sebesar US$4-US$4,5 per juta British themal unit (mmbtu).

Sementara, harga jual rata-rata ekspor melalui pipa dan pengiriman kargo gas alam cair (Liquefied Natural Gas/LNG) pada periode yang sama mencapai US$10-US$11 per mmbtu.

“Jadi jika dibandingkan dari selisih harga jual rata-rata gas ekspor yang lebih tinggi dari harga jual rata-rata gas domestik, sebenarnya kita telah memberikan ‘subsidi’ kepada industri domestik sebesar Rp40 triliun per tahun. Atau dengan kata lain, industri domestik telah mendapatkan subsidi sebesar Rp120 triliun dari harga jual gas yang murah tersebut,” ujar Gde, seperti dikutip dari situs BP Migas, Selasa (24/1).

Menurut dia, harga gas domestik yg sangat murah seringkali membuat KKKS (Kontraktor Kontrak Kerja Sama) enggan untuk mengembangkan lapangan gasnya untuk memenuhi pasar domestik. Hal tersebut tentu berpotensi mengancam kontinuitas ketersediaan gas untuk kebutuhan industri dalam negeri.

Akibatnya, dalam jangka panjang harga gas yang sangat murah justru dapat merugikan industri dan konsumen gas dalam negeri.

Dirinya mencontohkan rata-rata harga gas pipa domestik dari tahun 2009-2011 berkisar antara 40-50% dari harga gas pipa ekspor. Bahkan, harga gas ke PGN berada di bawah harga rata-rata nasional yang sebesar US$5,17 per mmbtu.

Pasokan gas COPI (ConocoPhilips) ke PGN hingga saat ini hanya dihargai US$1,8 per mmbtu. Sementara harga rata-rata gas pipa ekspor tahun 2011 berada di kisaran US$13–US$14 per mmbtu. Sementara harga rata-rata ekspor LNG tahun lalu berkisar US$12–US$13 per mmbtu.

“Jadi jika dibandingkan, sebenarnya penjualan gas ke domestik sangat jauh di bawah harga gas internasional. Hitungan kita, rata-rata kita ‘menyubsidi’ harga gas domestik sekitar Rp40 triliun per tahun,” katanya. (*/OL-10)

Unjuk rasa ribuan buruh yang terjadi di kawasan industri Cibitung Bekasi, Jawa Barat menyebabkan kerugian berbagai sektor industri.

Misalnya, kerugian akibat terhambatnya produksi untuk lima industri keramik besar di kawasan tersebut mencapai Rp3,71 miliar.

Ada lima pabrik keramik besar di sana seperti Mulia Keramik dan KIA Indonesia dengan total kapasitas produksi mencapai 450.000 meter persegi. Harga jual keramik sekitar Rp33 ribu per meter persegi. Mereka berproduksi selama 24 jam sehari.

“Demonstrasi buruh itu membuat kegiatan produksi terhenti selama 6 jam,” ujar Ketua Umum Asosiasi Aneka Keramik Indonesia (Asaki) Achmad Widjaya kepada Media Indonesia, Jumat (27/1).

Berdasarkan data tersebut, imbuhnya setiap hari produksi keramik dari Cibitung bernilai Rp618,7 juta per jam atau Rp14,85 miliar per hari. “Jadi kerugian selama 6 jam tidak berproduksi sekitar Rp3.712.500.000,” paparnya. (OL-11)

State gas distributor PT PGN said Friday that the gas supply from the Maleo field in East Java, operated by Australia-based Santos, will temporarily be stopped in December for maintenance activities.

The company’s spokeswoman Nella Andaryati reported that the shutdown at the Maleo field would be conducted in two phases: the first phase would take place between Dec. 3 and 5, while the second phase would be between Dec. 9 and 19.

“That schedule is the last confirmation we received from Santos. The schedule has been already been changed several times,” she said.

Previously, Santos planned to stop its 110 million standard cubic feet per day (mmscfd) gas supply in April or June this year, but then it revised the schedule to October. Before postponing again until December, Santos said the stoppage would take place in November.

“We don’t know whether the December schedule is the final one or will be changed again. According to the latest schedule, the gas supply will resume to its normal levels after Dec. 19. We have informed our industrial customers about this situation,” Nella revealed.

She continued that due to the shutdown, PGN may lose income from gas sales to industries but there would be no compensation from Santos. She added that this was the first time Santos had halted its supply to PGN.

“Santos usually just reduces the supply during maintenance. As of today, there are no alternative gas supplies for industries,” Nella explained.

Santos plans to conduct maintenance activities to repair its offshore rig in the Maleo field at the Madura offshore block in East Java. The company claimed that the repair work was necessary to realize its commitment to run safe operations.

The Australian company holds a 67.5 percent share at the Madura offshore block, while the remaining 32.5 percent is owned by PC Madura Limited and PT Pantai Madura, which own 22.5 percent and 10 percent, respectively.

The secretary-general of the Forum for Natural Gas-Using Industries (FIPGB) and head of the Ceramic Association, Achmad Widjaya, told The Jakarta Post that he demanded PGN provide compensation to industries, such as changing the gas to compressed natural gas (CNG) and liquefied natural gas (LPG).

“We still hope Santos doesn’t fully stop the gas supply,” he said.

East Java was home to 12 ceramic companies that employed around 3,000 workers, Achmad continued. The stoppage, he calculated, would incur a loss of Rp 2.43 billion per day. Based on the FIPGB’s data, 326 factories from 22 industrial sectors still face gas shortages. The industries, located in 16 provinces, include food and beverages, textiles, fertilizers and ceramic tiles.

Upstream oil and gas regulator, BP Migas Japalu, which oversees East Java, Papua and Maluku, said earlier that it would seek a mechanism for Santos to stop producing gas in stages until the second week of December, rather than all at once. The gas producer might conduct the repairs on rotation, with one day for repairs followed by two days of resumed gas production, and so on. In this way, it could still supply gas to industries, the agency suggested.