JAKARTA (Reuters) – Indonesia on Wednesday offered three exploration oil and gas blocks in its third round of auctions this year amid efforts to replenish reserves, an energy ministry official said.
The government offered Akimeugah I and Akimeugah II blocks, which each has an estimated gas resources of 15 billions of barrels of oil equivalent (bboe).
The two blocks are located onshore, straddling the South Papua and Papua Mountains provinces, said energy ministry official Noor Arifin Muhammad.
The third block offered on Wednesday was the Bobara exploration block located off the shore of West Papua.
Bobara has an estimated oil and gas resources of around 6.8 bboe.
Indonesia is aiming to offer 10 new oil and gas this year.
In the second round of auctions launched in July, Indonesia offered the Natuna D-Alpha exploration block in East Natuna, which has an estimated 230 trillion cubic feet of gas resources, one of the biggest resources in the world, but one which has a high CO2 content.
The bidding process for Natuna D-Alpha and the other blocks in the second round is ongoing, Noor said.
(Reporting by Fransiska Nangoy, Editing by Louise Heavens)
