Dwi Soetjipto, the Head of SKK Migas, stated that there are 3 deep-sea exploration activities planned by operators and participating rights holders in the area for this year.

Two exploration commitments will be undertaken by British Cooperation Contract Contractors (Kontraktor Kontrak Kerja Sama - KKKS), Harbour Energy, in WK Andaman II, while another exploration commitment is being announced by Mubadala Energy, an energy company headquartered in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Dwi mentioned that these three exploration commitments are a follow-up to the successful Timpan-1 deep-sea well drilling conducted in the middle of 2022.

Successful initial drilling

Back in 2022, Harbour Energy, through its subsidiary Premier Oil, managed to extract 27 million cubic feet per day (MMSCFD) of gas and 1,884 barrels of condensate per day (BOPD) at a depth of 13,818 feet below the sea surface.

"International oil companies have demonstrated their seriousness in tapping high-risk exploration potentials, which clearly indicates that our investment appeal is still promising," Dwi stated in a press release on Sunday, August 6, 2023.

Dwi highlighted that these exploration commitments serves as a breath of fresh air for the government and stakeholders in the upstream oil and gas industry because it sends positive signals towards the untapped deep-sea potential in several areas.

"This is undoubtedly joyful news, as the current national upstream oil and gas potential lies significantly in the deep sea," he expressed.

Massive reserves remain untapped

Previously, Tutuka Ariadji, the Director General of Oil and Gas at the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources (ESDM), stated that the Andaman Block has a considerable amount of oil and gas reserves.

The average discovery of reserves amounts to around 6 trillion cubic feet (TCF) for each developed block.

Tutuka anticipated that the successful exploration findings in Timpan-1 area are likely to recur for several advanced exploration wells in the deep-sea Andaman region.

"An average of around 6 TCF, Andaman Three might also be substantial; if combined, the three could potentially exceed Masela. The drilled height in Andaman II alone is over 100 meters," Tutuka explained during an interview at the Ministry of ESDM in Jakarta on Wednesday, July 20, 2022.

Nevertheless, Tutuka remarked that the substantial gas resources potential in the Andaman Block is projected to extend into Thailand's territorial waters.

According to Tutuka, Thailand has been intensifying its search for gas resources that extend from the Andaman Block.