"Warim has an oil potential reaching up to 27 billion barrels. I think this is extraordinary. If there is oil, usually, we can find gas potential too," he stated at the 2nd Edition Marine Spatial Planning & Services Expo 2023 in Jakarta on Tuesday.
He noted that the new energy potential has been explored independently by state-run oil company, PT Pertamina. However, since Warim is a protected forest area, the company needed special treatment to explore the oil and gas potential in the area.
Moreover, the minister said he had discussed exploration plans in the Warim area with the Ministry of Environment and Forestry (LHK).
"Up to this day, Pertamina is carrying out independent exploration because Warim is a protected forest area. Maybe the drilling will be different, at a certain angle," Pandjaitan remarked.
Furthermore, he said that Indonesia has large oil and gas potential not only on land but also in sea. He noted that the government had also discovered gas potential of up to 24 trillion cubic feet (TCF) in the Andaman region, Aceh.
"Apart from on land, we also have energy potential at sea, such as in Andaman, Aceh, with 24 TCF gas potential. In Masela, Maluku, the amount is similar," he stated.
With this abundant potential, the minister called on all levels of society to believe in the country's greatness. Despite some shortcomings, he believed they also come with improvement.
"Problems will not be solved in one term. It needs three to four government terms for us to become a high-income country or a developed country. That is a process that we must do together, and if we are all united, God willing, we can get there," he remarked.
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Translator: Ade Irma J, Resinta S
Editor: Azis Kurmala
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