Balikpapan– In line with the implementation of technology and innovation, as well as cost optimization steps, PT Pertamina Hulu Kalimantan Timur (PHKT) has completed the drilling of three offshore oil and gas wells in the East Kalimantan & Attaka Working Area in just 82 days, or faster than the initial plan. The three new wells, namely STA-37, STA-38, and STA-39, are located in the Northern Operations Area (DOBU) of East Kalimantan and were completed between March and May 2025.

General Manager of Zona 10, Yoseph Agung Prihartono, explained that this drilling, in addition to being completed in a faster time, was also carried out with a lower budget realization than planned, resulting in good efficiency. "By considering increasingly complex business and operational challenges, we continue to take strategic and tactical steps to ensure that upstream oil and gas operations, including drilling, become more effective and efficient," he said.

According to Yoseph, the success of this faster drilling reflects the careful planning, synergy, and precise implementation of the engineering team, as well as operational reliability and safety, and the use of the latest drilling innovations and technology.

According to him, the drilling of these three wells can be completed safely within the target timeframe. "We always make safety a top priority as well as the foundation in every upstream oil and gas operation and business activity of the company, even though we are faced with various challenges in this drilling process," he said. He added that, during this drilling activity, the Company implemented the best safety practices in the national and global oil and gas industry, including the Pertamina Corporate Life Saving Rules (CLSR) and the HSSE Golden Rules, to ensure safe, environmentally friendly, and sustainable operations.

Drilling Manager PHKT Zona 10 Subholding Upstream Pertamina, Ted S. Pelawi, stated that drilling new wells was a strategic step taken by the Company to maintain production levels in mature oil and gas fields. The Company also continues to encourage innovation and the application of technology based on best practices. "We implement innovation, technology, and the best engineering practices that can improve safety, speed, and cost efficiency of drilling," he said.

According to him, the STA Platform drilling project is one of the most complex in the DOBU area, where, since the initial phase of the Rig Move In (RMI), it has faced quite challenging field conditions. The three wells were designed with lateral trajectories from the surface point towards the reservoir target. The drilling of the STA-38 Well used a 3D S-curve design because it has a quite challenging trajectory profile. This requires a high level of precision and expertise in directional drilling, likewise with the STA-37 Well, which has a target quite far from the platform, so that directional drilling must be carried out along 6,000 ft.

Another technical challenge is the risk of collision between the new well trajectory and existing wells underground. In the STA Platform area, there are at least 14 (fourteen) active wells with very close underground paths. The potential risks include damage to the well structure and blowout (loss of pressure control), so that drilling must be carried out accurately.

As a form of commitment to implementing the highest safety standards and technical precision, the PHKT Drilling Team uses three-dimensional simulation software before drilling begins and continues periodically during drilling. During drilling, the actual well trajectory is monitored in real-time through Measurement While Drilling (MWD) technology, accompanied by trajectory corrections and periodic surveys at each stand, to ensure that the drilling path remains by the initial design.

PT Pertamina Hulu Kalimantan Timur (PHKT) is a subsidiary of PT Pertamina Hulu Indonesia (PHI), which manages upstream oil and gas operations and businesses according to the Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) principles in the East Kalimantan & Attaka Working Area in East Kalimantan. Through collaboration with SKK Migas, PHKT, together with other PHI subsidiaries and affiliates, continues to develop various innovations and technology applications to produce safe, efficient, reliable, compliant, and environmentally friendly energy, in line with the goal of #EnergiKalimantanUntukIndonesia. More information about PHI is available at https://phi.pertamina.com.