Indonesia expects to start Bintuni petrochemical project in 2014

25-Jul-13

Indonesian government expects a project to develop a US$4 billion fertilizer and petrochemical industrial center in Bintuni Bay, West Papua, to kick off next year, as per Jakartapost.com. With this, the country will reduce its reliance on imports. Bintuni Bay is located near the Tangguh liquefied natural gas (LNG) field in West Papua, which is one of the biggest contributors of Indonesia’s overseas gas contracts. The Industry Ministry’s director general for manufacturing-based industry, Panggah Susanto, said on Tuesday in Jakarta that the integrated upstream industrial complex would produce urea and ammonia-based fertilizers and a wide array of petrochemical products, including methanol, polypropylene and polyethylene. “We still have to ensure an availability of gas. Once we secure a gas allocation, we may commence the project early next year,” he said, adding that the ministry had conveyed the amount of gas required to upstream oil and gas watchdog SKKMigas, which had vowed to provide gas from surrounding fields.