Indonesia's Tangguh LNG Train 3 in 'commissioning process:' minister

The Indonesian Tangguh LNG project's Train 3 is in the "commissioning process," with hopes for the first shipment by end-June, Indonesia's Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources Arifin Tasrif said March 3.

"No. 3 [Train] now in the commissioning process; we hope they can finalize [production] within the next couple months," Tasrif told reporters on the sidelines of the first Asia Zero Emission Community, or AZEC, investment forum in Tokyo.

The Tangguh LNG project in Papua Barat province currently has a combined 7.6 million mt/year production capacity over two trains and is scheduled to start up the third 3.8 million mt/year train in 2023, bringing the total production capacity to 11.4 million mt/year.

Asked when Indonesia's state-owned Pertamina will take over Shell's stake in the Abadi LNG project, Tasrif it is "under the discussion" with a hope of concluding it by the end of June.

Tasrif told S&P Global(opens in a new tab) on Jan. 15 that Pertamina will buy Shell's 35% stake in the delayed Abadi LNG project, which is expected to start up in 2029 as the country sought to boost its gas production.

On the timeline for approving a revised plan of development of the Abadi project, Tasrif said it is "under evaluation."

"We hope during the [process of] revising of the POD [plan of development], changes not much so we can commercialize," Tasrif said.

Japan's INPEX is working to revise a plan of development for the Abadi LNG project it operates in Indonesia and to get the plan approved in 2023, a company spokesperson said Jan. 19, as the company aims to start up the 9.5 million mt/year project in the early 2030s.

INPEX is in the midst of talks with the Indonesian government about revising the plan of development approved in 2019 to introduce decarbonization measures such as carbon capture and storage at the Abadi project, the spokesperson said.

This comes on the back of the suspension of a detailed survey looking at prospective plant locations and its surrounding area following Indonesia's entry restriction in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, the spokesperson added.

INPEX plans to resume its work in Indonesia having revised the plan of development and getting it approved in 2023. It also plans for a final investment decision in the second half of the 2020s and to start up production in early 2030s, according to the spokesperson.

The Abadi LNG project, an onshore LNG project, is preparing for development in the Masela Block offshore Indonesia.

The project is expected to produce about 9.5 million mt/year of LNG and up to around 35,000 b/d of condensate. The project will also supply 150 million cubic feet/day of pipeline natural gas to the domestic market.