New Pertamina board to address Cepu issue

March 8, 2006
The Indonesian government has changed the board of directors at state oil and gas firm PT Pertamina, replacing Pres. Widya Purnama with former Marketing and Trade Director Ari Soemarno.

Eric Watkins
Senior Correspondent

LOS ANGELES, Mar. 8 -- The Indonesian government has changed the board of directors at state oil and gas firm PT Pertamina, replacing Pres. Widya Purnama with former Marketing and Trade Director Ari Soemarno.

In announcing the change, which includes other key positions, State Minister for State Enterprises Sugiharto said it would be up to the new management to resolve the question of operatorship of the Cepu Block (OGJ, Feb. 20, 2006, Newsletter).

He said it is a "business-to-business" deal between the new board of directors and ExxonMobil Oil Indonesia Inc. Soemarno agreed, saying, "We will evaluate the matter as soon as possible. It is our main program for the first 100 days."

Sugiharto named Pertamina's new vice-president as Iin Arifin Takhyan, who was previously the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources' director general for oil and gas.

Other changes include: Achmad Faisal, marketing and trade director; Frederick Siahaan, finance director; and Sukusen Soemarinda, upstream director.

Suroso Atmomartoyo retains his position as processing director.

Contact Eric Watkins at [email protected].