Balikpapan- PT Pertamina Hulu Indonesia (PHI) and The Balikpapan City Government, represented by The Environmental Agency of Balikpapan signed the cooperation agreement to establish the development of the Orchidarium Thematic Park at Kebun Raya Balikpapan, located at KM15, Karang Joang, North Kalimantan District, Balikpapan (14/06).

The signing agreement (PKS) is part of the Biodiversity Day celebration and Environmental Day, celebrated every 22nd of May and the 5th of June, respectively.

Head of Balikpapan's Environmental Agency, Sudirman Djayaleksan, elaborated that the development of the Orchidarium Thematic Park is set to be complete in 3 years, and would be expected to open in May 2025, officially.

In his opening speech, Sudirman explained that there are 1700 orchid varieties in Kalimantan, and inside the Kebun Raya Balikpapan, 120 can be found, approximately. " According to the agreement, 40 varieties will be an addition,  3 are categorized as endangered, among others are black orchids that are the floral mascots of East Kalimantan," said Sudirman.

On a separate occasion, Senior Manager Relation PHI Farah Dewi stated the company's commitment to continue eco-friendly oil and gas operations. Moreover, she believed that the agreement is in line with the qualifications needed in the assessment of PROPER Beyond Compliance, which is a sustainable synergy between The Government and Conservation Agencies, and within the subsidiaries in PHI.
" In the long run, the management of The Orchidarium Thematic Park will develop into an integrated Biodiversity Protection Program that involves nongovernmental organizations (LSM) and fostered community groups surrounding the Kebun Raya Balikpapan area. The goal is so that Thematic Park would, later on, be a place to cater to conservatory, research, and education; Moreover, could be used as an alternative recreational site for the people and surrounding communities in Balikpapan." explained by Dewi.

Dewi added that the conservation of Kalimantan orchid varieties is a form of the company's commitment to implementing various sustainable social innovations and the environment; also the implementation of the Environment, Social and Governance (ESG); and fulfilling the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), Goal number 15 that is to Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss. In 2020 and 2021, PHI achieved numerous Gold and Green PROPER awards from The Ministry of Environment and Forestry.

PT Pertamina Hulu Indonesia (PHI) is a subsidiary of the Subholding Upstream Pertamina that manages the Upstream oil and gas business and operations according to the ESG (Environment, Social, and Governance) principles in Region 3 Kalimantan. To achieve the vision of becoming a world-class oil and gas company, PHI conducts various innovations and technology implementations to achieve #EnergiKalimantanuntukIndonesia. Through the subsidiaries and affiliates of the company, PHI carries out Corporate Social Responsibility and innovative environmental programs through Economy, Education, Health, Environment, Infrastructure, and Disaster Response to support the empowerment of the community that is sustainable and achievement of Sustainability Development Goals (SDG). PHI's headquartered in situated in Jakarta. Further information about PHI is available at https://phi.pertamina.com.