PetroChina International Jabung Ltd. (PCJL) has reaffirmed its commitment to significantly boost its exploration to support Indonesia’s upstream oil and gas industry regulator SKK Migas to achieve the national production target of 1 million barrels of oil per day (BOPD) and 12 billion standard cubic feet per day (BSCFD) of gas in 2030.

“As a production sharing contractor [PSC] entrusted to continue managing Jabung Working Area for the period of 2023-2043, PCJL will boost various exploration and development programs to increase production at Jabung,” PCJL Field Manager Jabung Rudy Hermawan said during a media visit event at the Betara Gas Plant (BGP) in West Tanjung Jabung Regency, Jambi, on Wednesday (18/10).

According to Rudy, that these efforts include drilling two exploration wells, NEB SUN-1 and NEB BASE-3, as part of PCJL’s firm working commitment in Jabung Working Area in 2023. This year, PetroChina will also drill 11 development wells across six fields in Jabung Working Area.

“Currently, seven wells have been spudded, namely WB-D16, NEB-101, SB-D21, NEB-93, Panen-D15, NEB-83 and Gemah-75,” he said, continuing that the spud-in of SB-D21 well on 22 January 2023 gained appreciation from SKK Migas as the fastest well spud-in of 2023.

In general, this year’s drilling program is expected to increase production by 1,122 BEPD of oil and condensate and 22 MMSCFD of gas. In 2022, PCJL successfully drilled 14 wells.    

Furthermore, Rudy said that the company was preparing 3D and 2D seismic survey in Jabung Working Area, expected to begin in the fourth quarter of 2023 and will last for 15 months. “Socialization of seismic survey in East Tanjung Jabung Regency began on 4 September 2023,” he said. 

PCJL Exploration Manager Hendra Niko said that, this year, the company would focus on finding new oil and gas resources in Jabung Working Area. He said that, with Indonesia’s target towards energy transition, the presence of Jabung Working Area managed by PCJL was in line with these targets. “In Jabung, 65 percent of our production is gas,” he said.

PCJL has been operating 1,643-square-kilometer Jabung Area in Jambi Province since 2022 after acquiring the block from its previous operator Devon Energy. Since 2006, PCJL has booked stable average daily production above 50,000 BOEPD. In 2022, PCJL booked average daily lifting realization of 15,618 BEPD of oil and condensate and 173 MMSCFD of gas.

On 27 February 2023, PCJL officially began its contract extension period of Jabung operatorship for 2023-2043.