Pertamina to take control of Mahakam once contract expires
Total and Inpex currently have a production sharing contract which will expire in 2017
Indonesia’s national oil company (NOC) Pertamina will officially take control of Mahakam, the country’s biggest oil and gas block, when French major Total and Japan’s Inpex see their production sharing contract (PSC) expire at the end of 2017. Energy minister Sudirman Said officially announced that Pertamina and local governments would have a 70% stake in the new contract, which will take effect in January 2018. Total and Inpex will have the remaining 30%. The division of the 30% interest between Total and Inpex is still being discussed, he added. The appointment of the NOC as the operator of Mahakam illustrates Indonesia’s aspiration to take a firmer grip on the nation’s natural resources
Also in this section
5 March 2026
Gas is a central pillar of Colombia’s energy system, but declining production poses a significant challenge, and LNG will be increasingly needed as a stopgap. A recent major offshore gas discovery offers hope, but policy improvements are also required, Camilo Morales, secretary general of Naturgas, the Colombian gas association, tells Petroleum Economist
4 March 2026
The continent’s inventories were already depleted before conflict erupted in the Middle East, causing prices to spike ahead of the crucial summer refilling season
4 March 2026
The US president has repeatedly promised to lower gasoline prices, but this ambition conflicts with his parallel aim to increase drilling and could be upended by his war against Iran
4 March 2026
With the Strait of Hormuz effectively closed following US-Israel strikes and Iran’s retaliatory escalation, Fujairah has become the region’s critical pressure release valve—and is now under serious threat
