AsianOil: Indonesia's West Belut gas project comes online ahead of schedule

Indonesian energy company Medco E&P has officially begun gas production from its West Belut project, located in the South Natuna Sea Block B offshore Indonesia, the company announced last week. The project, valued at $84mn, was fast-tracked, with gas production commencing on September 11, ahead of the expected October launch, according to upstream regulator SKK Migas.

The West Belut field, discovered in late 2020, includes a wellhead platform with a production capacity of 55mn cubic feet (1.56mn cubic metres) of gas per day (around 570 mcm per year). The project features a 12-km, 12-inch (305mm) subsea pipeline connecting the platform to the existing South Belut pipeline. Modifications were also made to the central processing platform at North Belut.

Medco highlighted that the West Belut wellhead platform is powered entirely by solar energy and operates as an unmanned facility.

Dwi Soetjipto, head of SKK Migas, praised the project's innovative use of eco-friendly technology, aligning with the government's goal of transitioning to clean energy and reducing carbon emissions in production. He expressed hope that this project would inspire similar efforts in Indonesia’s oil and gas sector.

Ronald Gunawan, Medco's COO, celebrated the successful early gas production, marking a significant milestone for the company.

The West Belut-1 well, initially drilled in 2020, used the Pearl Driller jack-up rig, owned by Vantage Drilling. Medco E&P Natuna operates the South Natuna Sea Block B under a production sharing contract, covering 11,155 square km. Medco holds a 40% stake in the contract, with Medco Daya Abadi Lestari and Prime Natuna holding 35% and 25% respectively.

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