Govt delays maiden export of LNG from Tangguh

Previously, the government has delayed a maiden export of the Tangguh LGN from February to May 2009 due to a technical problem.

He however said that the government would likely carry out the maiden export from Bontang, East Kalimantan.

"The government is willing to make sure that the Bontang gas production would not be affected following the decline in LNG demand from the refineries due to the global economic crisis," the minister said.

The government also assured that the Tangguh refineries in Papua would have been ready before it exported the commodity. It also wanted that the LNG terminal in Fujian would also be completed first.

The minister explained that the Indonesian team sent to inspect the terminal in Fujian had returned to Indonesia.

"The team reported that Fujian for the time being only asked for one cargo of LNG to test the use of its terminal. The demand would be met by shipping the LNG from Bontang," he said. (*)