Jakarta. The Indonesian government is offering 75 oil and gas blocks for exploration and development, the majority of which are located in the eastern regions of the archipelago, as part of its drive to increase domestic energy production.

Deputy Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Yuliot Tanjung said on Tuesday that 20 of the blocks are situated in the Maluku-Papua region, including areas such as Seram-Aru and Cendrawasih Bay II and III.

“These blocks have been identified and are ready to be offered to business entities through auctions,” Yuliot said. He explained that some of the blocks already have winning bidders, others are currently in the open bidding stage, while the rest are still being prepared for auction.

The 75 blocks are available through production sharing contracts (PSC), a scheme aimed at attracting investment and boosting national oil and gas output.

Of the total, 61 blocks are currently being auctioned by the government. These include:

Central Andaman, Amanah, Melati, Panai, Pesut Mahakam, Serpang, Kojo, Binaiya, Gaea 1, Gaea 2, Air Komering, Meuseuraya, Jalu, Gagah, Natuna D-Alpha, Kisaran Baru, Barong, Perkasa, Mabelo, Lavender, Muara Tembesi, Southwest Andaman, Areca, Bruni, Carera, West Andaman I, West Andaman II, Abar, Anggursi, West Rapak, Bintuni, Drawa, Seram-Aru, Namori, Talu-Sapukala, Bengkulu Mentawai, Marva-Talawang-Balakbalakang, Masakka, Nawasena, South Tanimbar, Rupat, Puri, Ampuh, North Andaman, Maratua II, Bengara II, Mamberamo, Tomini Bay, AOI-K1, SE Natuna, Karapan Baru, Patin, South East Java, Taliabu, South Matindok, Rangkas, Boka, Enrekang, Northeast Tanjung, Palmerah Baru, and Tungka Baru.

In addition to these, the government has identified 14 potential open areas for future auctions:

Bukit Barat, Kasongan Sampit, Palangkaraya, West Sangatta, South Sageri, South East Mandar, Halmahera Kofiau, Semai IV, North Arguni, Cendrawasih Bay II, Cendrawasih Bay III, Akimeugah I, Akimeugah II, and East Tanimbar.

President Prabowo Subianto has set an ambitious goal of raising Indonesia’s crude oil production to 1 million barrels per day (bpd) within the next few years, up from the current level of approximately 630,000 bpd.

In parallel, the government is also working to increase natural gas output to achieve national energy self-sufficiency while simultaneously accelerating the transition to renewable energy sources.

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