Presidential Chief of Staff (KSP), Moeldoko, on Friday reiterated the government’s commitment to supporting oil and gas resource management in Aceh province as part of efforts to curb their imports.
“Aceh has a long history in (terms of) the contribution of oil and gas. Our country has vast resources (of oil and gas). But due to the poor management of local resources, our imports have increased,” Moeldoko said during a meeting with the Aceh Oil and Gas Management Agency (BPMA) here on Friday.
According to Statistics Indonesia (BPS), the country’s oil and gas imports reached US$3.38 billion in December 2021, an increase of 11.66 percent compared to the previous month, he noted.
The imports showed a 127.95-percent jump compared to the same period of 2020, when they were recorded at US$1.48 billion, he pointed out.
“I hope that the BPMA can work optimally to contribute to reducing our imports,” Moeldoko said.
The Presidential Staff Office will support the agency in synchronizing and harmonizing regulations on oil and gas management, as stipulated in Government Regulation No. 23/2015 on the Joint Management of Oil and Gas Resources, he added.
The BPMA was established under the Energy and Mineral Resource Ministry as part of the government regulation, he said.
The agency said it is formulating strategies to encourage oil and gas investment in Aceh, as some illegal exploitation of oil and gas resources in the Eastern Coast of Sumatra has continued to be detected.
“There are many illegal oil wells in the regions. We are trying to find ways to encourage the legal operation of those oil and gas wells; hence, it could benefit local people,” BPMA head Teuku Mohamad Faisal said.
https://en.antaranews.com/news/212237/govt-underlines-commitment-to-supporting-oil-gas-management-in-aceh
