Jakarta (ANTARA News) - State oil and gas company Pertamina has asked the government to issue a regulation requiring its joint contractors to sell portions of their crude oil share of 210,000 barrels per day to its refineries.

Pertamina was ready to buy crude oil at a competitive price from the contractors which had so far exported portions of their crude oil share, Pertamina spokesman M Harun said here on Sunday.

"We ask for the government`s support to revise the regulation to give Pertamina an option to buy portions of the contractors` crude oil share which has so far been exported," he said.

Pertamina aimed to buy portions of the contractors` crude oil share not only to support energy resilience but also to anticipate possible oil crisis following heated situation in the Hormuz Strait in the Middle East, he said.

He said the company had informed the Oil and Gas Regulatory Body (BP Migas) of the plan to buy portions of the contractors` crude oil share and the body fully supported the plan.

"We also have made a similar request to all the contractors which still export portions of their crude oil share," he said.

Pertamina had so far bought portions of the government`s crude oil share at a higher price than the market price, he said.

"We pay for portions of the government`s crude oil share about Rp600 billion higher than the market price every year," he said.

Indonesia`s crude oil production currently reaches 900,000 bpd of which 210,000 bpd are the exported portions of the contractors.(*)

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Editor: Jafar M Sidik
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