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Today's Headlines Oil & Gas
The latest research report of Indonesia Investments focuses on the energy sector of Indonesia. The energy sector is a crucial sector because without energy it is impossible to pursue economic and social development.
Indonesia's national crude oil output remains dominated by a select group of companies. The five biggest oil producers in Indonesia - who together account for 73.34 percent of the nation's total oil production - are Chevron Pacific Indonesia, ExxonMobil, Pertamina EP, Pertamina Hulu Mahakam, and the China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC).
SKK Migas, the government's special taskforce for upstream oil and gas business activities in Indonesia, said direct investment in the country's upstream oil and gas sector reached USD $1.8 billion by the end of February 2018 (equivalent to around 13.84 percent of SKK Migas' full-year 2018 investment target in the country's oil and gas sector).
Net profit of Indonesia's fully state-owned oil & gas company Pertamina is estimated to have declined to around IDR 27 trillion (approx. USD $2.0 billion) in full-year 2017, down about 35 percent (y/y) from USD $3.1 billion in the preceding year. The decline is attributed to rising crude oil prices and the government's refusal to adjust subsidized fuel prices.
Indonesia's Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry will revise Energy Regulation No. 8/2017 on the gross split scheme. It was decided to revise this relatively new regulation after an evaluation was conducted that included input from oil and gas contractors. Deputy Energy Minister Arcandra Tahar announced the revision earlier this week.
Indonesian Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Ignatius Jonan hopes to see oil production at the Banyu Urip Field, part of the Cepu Block in East Java, rise to 300,000 barrels per day (bpd), a development that would also trigger the multiplier effect for the region, he added. The Banyu Urip Field is the key oil field in Indonesia as it accounts for about 25 percent of Indonesia's total crude oil output.
The upstream oil and gas industry of Indonesia is plagued by companies' lack of interest in exploration amid low crude oil prices, their eagerness to focus on efficiency strategies, and Indonesia's difficult investment climate. At the 41st Indonesian Petroleum Association Convention and Exhibition in the Jakarta Convention Center on Wednesday (17/05) Christina Verchere, President Director of the Indonesia Petroleum Association (IPA), said low oil prices have been the main reason for reduced investment in oil and gas exploration since 2014.
Investment in Indonesia's oil and gas sector remained bleak in the first quarter of 2017. The key reason why oil and gas companies are still reluctant to invest in any exploration and expansion projects is the low crude oil price that remains below the USD $50 per barrel level. In Q1-2017 investment in Indonesia's oil and gas sector fell 4.1 percent year-on-year (y/y) to USD $2.57 billion. Indonesia's upstream oil and gas regulator SKK Migas targets to attract a total of USD $12.87 billion worth of investment in the oil and gas sector in 2017.
The government of Indonesia appointed state-owned energy company Pertamina to operate eight oil & gas blocks after contracts with existing operators expire in 2018. Indonesia's new gross profit sharing scheme, which replaced the nation's cost recovery scheme, will be applied to the new contracts in 2018. Under the gross profit sharing scheme the Indonesian government and contractors agree up front on the proportion for splitting gross profit from oil and gas exploration (implying that all exploration and production costs are now borne by the operator).
The government of Indonesia is confident that the new gross profit sharing mechanism that is set to replace the cost recovery scheme in the oil and gas industry in early 2017 is a fairer system for both the oil & gas contractor and the government. Earlier this month, Indonesia's Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry announced this change in course. However, the new gross profit sharing mechanism in the oil and gas industry will only be applied to new contracts starting from early 2017.
Latest Columns Oil & Gas
Just like essentially all other currencies around the globe, the Indonesian rupiah has been under pressure from tightening monetary policy in the United States (US). This has serious consequences for the energy market since Indonesia is a net oil importer.
Besides the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak, another big news story in March 2020 was the massive decline of global crude oil prices. Not only is the price of oil under pressure because of the enormous slowdown in economic activity as various governments have imposed restrictions (such as travel bans) in an attempt to curb the further spread of the coronavirus, but there also emerged big tensions between some of the world’s biggest oil producers that led to tumbling oil prices.
In the coming 2-5 years, Indonesia is moving forward ambitiously with many energy projects planned from upstream to mid and downstream. Billions of dollars will be invested into upstream oil & gas, coal-gasification, refinery, storage facilities and petrochemical/chemical plants.
The 5th ASEAN Refining and Petrochemical Forum is set to gather global and regional leadership speakers and brightest minds from the refining and petrochemical industry to discuss and address those issues and challenges facing the whole industry. It is a perfect platform and stage for regional and Indonesian policy makers and regulators, refiners and petrochemical producers, project financing and investors and technology licensors and suppliers to network for business relation.
The severe oil spill in the Balikpapan Bay (East Kalimantan) could lead to sanctions for Indonesia's state-owned oil and gas company Pertamina. Arcandra Tahar, Deputy Minister of Indonesia's Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry, said his ministry is joining forces with the Ministry of Environment and Forestry to investigate the oil spill case. Five fishermen were killed by toxic smoke, while it is feared that severe damage has been done to marine live and the ecosystem in the area.
Despite sliding net profit in full-year 2017, Indonesian upstream oil and gas company Elnusa saw its shares surge 42.47 percent to IDR 530 per share so far in 2018. The company's net profit fell 25.80 percent year-on-year (y/y) to IDR 246.14 billion (approx. USD $18.1 million) in 2017, while its revenue actually rose 37.56 percent (y/y) to IDR 4.98 trillion (approx. USD $366.2 million).
Foreign exchange earnings are important assets for a national economy. Therefore, many nations have recently been taking a much more protectionist approach vis-à-vis trade in an effort to strengthen their trade positions, generate trade surpluses, hence see the inflow of more foreign exchange earnings. Foreign exchange assets support a stable local currency as well as economy.
Again, oil and gas contractors in Indonesia urge the government to clean up bureaucracy (red tape) in this sector in order to make the investment climate more attractive, and hence trigger more (much-needed) investment in Indonesia's oil and gas industry.
Crude oil production at the Banyu Urip field (part of the Cepu Block) in East Java has reached 201,000 barrels of oil per day (bpd). This peak is reached about three years after operations started at the Banyu Urip field. Considering Indonesia set a 825,000 (bpd) oil production target in the state budget, it implies the Banyu Urip field now accounts for almost a quarter of total (targeted) crude oil production across Indonesia.
With the Indonesian economy estimated to expand at a stable pace of 5.0-6.0 percent year-on-year (y/y) in the years ahead, the country's supply of energy needs to be raised. If not, businesses will increasingly be plagued by blackouts, while the price of energy rises (causing growing production costs). The upstream oil and gas industry - that involves exploration, development and production - therefore has a vital role to play in Indonesia's energy supply and economy.
