2010 GAS BALANCE SHEET DEFICIT 2,544 MMSCFD

Jakarta, March 9 (ANTARA) - The Energy and Mineral Resources Minister said under the 2010-2025 Indonesian Gas Balance Sheet, this year booked a deficit of 2,544 MMSCFD.

The ministrys' Oil and Gas Director General Evita Legowo said in Jakarta Tuesday the data are based on the gas production difference between the existing supply and project supply against the contracted demand and committed demand.

"This year, the contracted and committed demands met only 75.7 percent of the existing and projected supply," she said.

She said if only the contracted demand is considered, 88.9 percent of the existing and projected supply would be met.

She said the difference was caused by the decline in the production of the old fields and the delayed production of the new gas fields.

Under the gas balance sheet which is the difference between the existing and projected supply on the one side, and the contracted and committed demands, on the other side in 2020, there is a deficit of 3,891 MMSCFD, and in 2025 a deficit of 4,715 MMSCFD.

Considering only the contracted demand without the committed demand, the deficit in 2010 would only reach 994 MMSCFD, 107 MMSCFD in 2020, and 19 MMSCFD in 2025.

She added that the contracted demand in the short-term during the 2010-2014 period, 115 percent per year would be met of the existing and projected supply.

And only 81.7 percent per year of the existing and projected supply of the contracted and committed demand would be met in the 2010-2014 period.

"The decline was caused by the natural drop in production and an increase in committed demand", she said.

In the long-run (2010-2025), 148 percent per year will be met of the existing and projected supply caused by the start of production of the projected supply and a decline in the contracted demand in the final stages of the contracts.

In the meantime, with regard to the 2010-2025 contracted and committed demands, only 73 percent per year of the existing and projected supplies could be met due to the decline in the natural production capacity and increase in committed demand.

The gas balance sheet covers 12 regions, namely Aceh, northern Sumatera, central and sounthern Sumatra, western, central and eastern parts of Java, southern and central parts of Sulawesi, southern Maluku, Papua, and Riau Islands.

The data include the coal methane gas production in East Kalimantan and the central and southern parts of East Kalimantan. T.K007