Balikpapan – PT Pertamina Hulu Kalimantan Timur (PHKT) has completed decommissioning activities for oil and gas platforms in the Attaka field, Northern Operating Area (DOBU), through the Rig to Reef Project which is the first pilot project carried out in Indonesia (11/17/2022). This project has gone through a long journey, starting with the initiation of a pilot project in July 2019 and the signing of a Joint Agreement for the Rig to Reef Pilot Project (Project Agreement) with KHAN from South Korea in August 2022.

President Director of PT Pertamina Hulu Indonesia (PHI), Chalid Said Salim, explained that this project is a form of the Company's commitment to continue to support government programs and policies in carrying out effective, efficient, compliant, and environmentally friendly oil and gas operations.

"Decommissioning of oil and gas platforms is an activity to close facilities and restore environmental conditions around the facility, which is one of the stages in the oil and gas project cycle. Therefore, the completion of this project is a very important milestone in realizing the commitment to run compliant and environmentally friendly oil and gas operations while supporting and realizing cooperation between the Government of the Republic of Indonesia and the Government of the Republic of Korea," explained Chalid.

According to Chalid, this pilot project is a breakthrough in Indonesia's upstream oil and gas industry which can later become a reference for decommissioning projects in the future, both in terms of planning, licensing, engineering, to implementation. 

"We continue to apply ESG (Environment, Social, Governance) principles in every company's oil and gas operations and business activities so that it can produce safe and sustainable energy for Indonesia," concluded Chalid. 

On a separate occasion, the Head of SKK Migas Dwi Soetjipto explained that the next step, the Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries would monitor the development of Rig-to-Reef activities, which are expected to be benchmarking in the implementation of other upstream oil and gas decommissioning projects.

"At the end of the demolition process, parts of the platform were transported and taken to an area near the conservation area off the coast of Bontang, East Kalimantan, to be used as an artificial reef. This is carried out to support the conservation of coral reefs and marine ecosystems and encourage the implementation of Rig-to-Reef in Indonesian waters," explained Dwi Soetjipto. 

This new habitat and ecosystem are expected to increase fish populations to create a multiplier effect of economic growth in the form of rising fishermen's catches and the economy of diving tourism (recreation diving). 

PT Pertamina Hulu Kalimantan Timur (PHKT) is a subsidiary of PHI that manages upstream oil and gas operations and business by Environment, Social, and Governance (ESG) principles in the East Kalimantan & Attaka Working Area in East Kalimantan. PHKT and other PHI subsidiaries and affiliates continue to carry out various innovations and technological applications in producing safe, efficient, reliable, compliant, and environmentally friendly energy to realize #EnergiKalimantanUntukIndonesia. More information about PHI is available at https://phi.pertamina.com.