Pertamina doubts VSIT technology, wants more proofs

State owned oil and gas company Pertamina still doubts the use of the Vibro Seismic Impact Technology (VISIT) in its old and marginal oil fields despite the assurance of the Indonesian sponsor of the technology.

RS Trijana Kartoadmodjo, a senior official at the state oil and gas company's exploration and production unit, said in Jakarta last week he still doubted the effectiveness of the technology although it had been successfully tested in several oil fields.

"It is true that the technology has been able to boost oil production by between 43 percent and 73 percent in Russian oil fields. But to adopt the system in Pertamina's old oil fields, we certainly need a further survey," he was quoted as saying by Neraca on Monday.

Trijna acknowledged that the Russian developed oil production technology had been successfully tested in some of Caltex Pacific Indonesia's oil field in Riau. "But without a clear technical explanation, it will be difficult for us to adopt the technology," he added.

According to him, the sponsor of the technology in Indonesia, PT Wahana Petronusa could not explain how the VISIT system worked to extract the oil reserves. "It just said that the technology is able to boost the production without any technical explanation. How could we believe in the technology if we don't know how it works," he added.

Izrul Chaniago, the president of PT Wahana Petronusa said that he understood why Pertamina still doubted the effectiveness of the technology.

According to him, the Russian experts who helped the promotion of the technology was still reluctant to talk more details of the technology to third parties. "We know the Russian people, they are mostly still reluctant to say about any thing to outsiders," he added. (*)