Indonesia: West Papua contract term extended

April 20, 2011
Indonesia extended to July 15, 2013, the exploration period for the Rombebai production sharing contract area in West Papua, Indonesia, said a unit of AED Oil Ltd., Melbourne.

By OGJ editors
HOUSTON, Apr. 20
– Indonesia extended to July 15, 2013, the exploration period for the Rombebai production sharing contract area in West Papua, Indonesia, said a unit of AED Oil Ltd., Melbourne.

AED Oil, which hopes to discover gas and establish a liquefied natural gas project on the acreage, is resuming farmout negotiations (OGJ Online, Feb. 10, 2010).

AED Oil wants to drill an exploratory well on the Gesa structure, postulated to contain more than 7 tcf of gas. Recent studies of previous drilling suggest oil as well as thermal gas potential indicated by oil fluorescence in Gesa 1 and 2 and from oil analyzed in hydrocarbon seeps.

A 2011 geological and geographical program will focus on reprocessing data and performing detailed AVO studies to better quantify the hydrocarbon type and distribution, as well as sampling oil seeps in the region. The term of the PSC, in the Waropen (Waipoga) basin, remains at 30 years (see map, OGJ, June 18, 2001, p. 34).