Padang, West Sumatra (ANTARA News) - Indonesia`s crude oil production has until now reached 910,000 barrels per day which is still below June`s production of 950,000 bpd.

"Right now crude oil production nationally has reached around 910,000 barrels a day," BP Migas` Head of Public Relations Elan Biantoro said here on Thursday.

He said after improvement of Tunu field in Kalimantan was done two weeks ago national production was estimated to reach 920,000 barrels a day.

"We are optimistic the 920,000 level could be achieved. Hopefully national production could be above 920,000 barrels a day," he said.

He said a planned shutdown had been done in Tunu field which is in the working area of a French contractor, recently causing national oil/gas production to decline up to 20,000 barrels a day (for condensate)," Elan said.

Due to that national oil production dropped to 906,000 barrels a day, he said.

He said to achieve the crude oil production target of 950,000 barrels a day production in the rest of the months this year had to be able to reach 970,000 barrels a day.

"We are striving to increase production by among others preventing more unplanned shutdowns especially in the working areas of ConocoPhillips and PT Chevron Pacific Indonesia," he said.

He said although production had not met the target, state revenue from oil and gas in the first quarter had reached 23 percent above the target set for the same period in the 2011 budget.

"In the period from January to March 2011 realization of oil lifting reached 90 percent or only 873,000 barrels a day of the target of 970,000 barrels a day set for the budget," he said.

Realization of gas lifting meanwhile reached 94 percent or only 8,514 million cubic feet per day (MMSCFD) of the target of 9,057 MMSCFD set for the 2011 budget.

"But state revenue has been 23 percent higher than the target set for the budget, due to an increasing oil price," he said.

The price of Indonesian Crude as a reference for state revenue in the period from January to March 2011 was above US$1000 per barrel or far from the assumption for the budget at only US$80 per barrel, he said.(*)

Editor: Heru Purwanto
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