Indonesia Reaches an Initial Milestone in Carbon Capture, Utilisation, and Storage (CCUS)

By I Gusti Suarnaya Sidemen, Indonesian Independent Researcher Expertise on Oil & Gas, CCS/CCUS - ACN Advisory Member
8 February 2023

In 2022, Indonesia reached an initial milestone in the effort to implement a carbon capture, utilisation, and storage (CCUS) programme by successfully starting two pilot projects of carbon dioxide–enhanced oil recovery (CO2–EOR) in Jatibarang and Jabung Working Area. The Jatibarang pilot project, run by national oil company Pertamina in cooperation with the Japan Organization for Metals and Energy Security, implements the huff and puff recovery method where CO2 in liquid state from a CO2 plant in Subang is transported through ISO tank trucks 99.5 km away and injected into the Pertamina-operated Well JTB-161 in Jatibarang Working Area. The CO2 injection started on 25 October 2022 with 80 tonnes per day injection rate at 500 pound per square inch (psi).

During the injection phase, CO2 remains immiscible and bypasses oil, either by displacing moveable water or oil.  After the injected CO2 reaches 200 tonnes, the injection is stopped. The injected CO2 then enters a soaking period of 1 week, during which the oil swells and intermediate hydrocarbon is extracted by the CO2. Once the soaking period is deemed sufficient, the well is opened and the operation runs for 1–3 months. Oil is produced as a result of CO2 injection. This process occurred repeatedly.

The pilot test was to confirm that the well and reservoir respond well to CO2 injection as indicated in the simulation of the planned design. As reported, the injection of CO2 in the JTB 161 well almost tripled production. Pertamina is to test another well at the same area before commercial production starts.

The second huff and puff field test was started by production-sharing contractor Petrochina in Gemah-6 well in Jabung Working Area in Tanjung Jabung Timur, Jambi Province. During the field trial period, CO2 from the Lower Talang Akar formation in Gemah-6 well was injected to the Simpang reservoir at a daily rate of 60 tonnes. The CO2 was supplied by a local liquid CO2 manufacturer near the field. The field trial programme kicked off on 8 December 2023 and ran for 30 days, with a total target volume of 1,800 tonnes of CO2 injection. After the injection was completed, the Gemah-6 well was closed for a 1-week soaking period. The production will be completed in 6 months. During simulation at the design stage, the expected production increased from 60 barrels of oil per day (BOPD) to 150 BOPD or an incremental production of around 18,000 barrels of oil. The pilot test, fully supported by SKK Migas and the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources, was carried out by PT Daqing Petroleum Services and local company PT. Gemilang Buana Utama. The pilot test’s initial result confirmed the intended tripling of production.

As stated in the Road Map to Net Zero Emission by 2060 in Energy Sector announced by the Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources on 2 September 2022, CCUS is set to play important and diverse roles in supporting clean energy transition, particularly in industry, electricity generation, and fuel transformation. Under the announced pledges scenario, CCUS applications will improve after 2025, with the expected amount of CO2 captured rising to over 6 metric tonnes annually in 2030, and reaching around 190 metric tonnes annually in 2060.

CCUS gained momentum in 2022. In addition to the two pilot projects in Subang and Jabung field, several CCUS projects have been initiated. Pertamina has planned nine CCUS enhanced oil recovery initiatives in Kalimantan, Sulawesi, Java, and Sumatra.  Inpex and SKK Migas have completed a  carbon capture and storage (CCS) feasibility study for Masela field whilst British Petroleum and SKK Migas have completed the feasibility study for CCUS enhanced gas recovery for the Tangguh III project. The Masela CCS projects are intended to store 70 million tonnes of CO2 by 2055, with an injection rate of 3 million tonnes per year or 160 million standard cubic feet per day of CO2.

Enhanced Gas Recovery (EGR), expected to come onstream in 2027, will inject 4 million tonnes of CO2 per year until 2045. In total, CCUS EGR in Tangguh will store 33 million tonnes of CO2 in 2045 or equivalent to 45% of Tangguh CO2 emission. EGR will deliver an incremental production of about 500 billion standard cubic feet of gas. In addition, the Morwata Field part of the Tangguh III project, which has a large storage capacity that may hold 500 million tonnes of CO2,could open future business opportunities for CCS. The CCUS development plan is on the right path.