[NTBKtrader]

Indonesia, which was once a major oil exporter, has to import more and more crude oil to meet the surge in its fuel demand. In other words, the country's oil production is no longer sufficient to meet its own needs.

Since March this year, crude oil imports have exceeded exports, making Indonesia a net oil importer.

Indonesia's production has continued to decline in recent years due to a lack of new investment in exploration and the natural decline in production at existing oil fields.

Oil production, which reached between 1.4 million barrels per day (bpd) and 1.6 million bpd during between 1974 and 1999, has been dropping steadily over the past five years. In the first quarter of this year, the country's oil production was only 0.98 million bpd or about 70 percent of the production level in 1999.

Kurtubi, the director of the Center for Petroleum and Energy Economics Studies (CPEES), describes the rapid drop in the country's oil production as unbelievable.

"The fall in the country's oil production by about 30 percent in less than five years is something extraordinary in the world's oil history. No country had experienced such a drastic fall in oil production," he says.

Indonesia currently holds proven oil reserves of 4.7 billion barrels, down 13 percent since 1994. The majority of Indonesia's producing oil fields are located in the western and central sections of the country.

[...]

Unocal's West Seno field, under development offshore of East Kalimantan, is producing 40,000 bpd and is expected to be able to produce up to 60,000 bpd when the second phase of development is completed in 2005. ExxonMobil's Banyurip field in Java, which is expected to come onstream in 2006, could produce up to 100,000 bpd.

The most promising project is the Cepu field in Central Java which holds reserves of at least 600 million barrels. The field, which is operated by ExxonMobil in partnership with Pertamina, is now inactive due to a dispute between the two oil giants over the future operation of the field, which could produce up to 180,000 bpd.


http://www.thejakartapost.com/detailfea ... F02&irec=5


Most oil producers in Indonesia have experienced significant production drops over the past few years, despite their intensive production recovery programs.

http://www.thejakartapost.com/detailfea ... F03&irec=6

[pea-jay]

Death and destruction aside for a moment, did the earthquake and tsunami damage or destroy any oil or gas producing regions. I know indonesia produces a lot of oil and gas, but I am not sure which part those resources lie in.

[Chocky]

Indonesia produces a lot of natural gas in Aceh, which was very close to the epicenter of the quake. I don't know whether it was affected or not.

[uNkNowN ElEmEnt]

When they produce natural gas is it like oil where they fill the empty space with water? Could this event have been caused by LNG or oil operations?

[savethehumans]

Nah. The whole region is earthquake-prone. Few years back, Papua New Guinea got one HECK of a tsunami.

The gas rigs were probably built to withstand quake damage. Of course, that doesn't mean that they WILL withstand it...depends on the quake's magnitude, direction, aftershocks, etc. Still...the oil & gas people swore up and down that there was little damage to the Gulf of Mexico rigs from all those hurricanes this year. We now know that to be a lie, of course. And fears about it played a part in the oil price upswing this past Fall.

And just think: development of the South China Sea area has barely begun yet! Ain't we got fun coming?

[smiley]

A Tsunami doesn't inflict a lot of damage at sea. In Open water it is only a few centimeters high. Only in shallow waters it grows.

However there are a number of oil rigs close to the epicenter of the quake. I wonder whether they suffered any damage

[Barbara]

Just read this article on Indymedia Portland:
http://portland.indymedia.org/en/2004/12/307042.shtml

Let alone the conpiracy tone, it really rang a bell. And later, I saw a footage on mainstream news about the Aceh province, the plenty of oil they have, the civil war they were fighting against indonesian troops supported by US troops, and the fact that they were the most heavily hitted province (80.000 deaths).
Guess where are the US troops rushing to "help"? In Aceh!

Call me nuts, but I begin to believe in this Haarp theory...

[Madpaddy]

I think the US may be trying to position themselves so there is an upside for them as a result of this disaster but I think it is unfair and dangerous to blame the US military for this.

According to our news reports, warnings were sent to institutions in the affected area but the countries concerned had no way of getting the news out to the general populace.

[PenultimateManStanding]

The quote from Secratary Cohen was an eye opener. I heard about HAARP on late night talk radio but didn't think too much about it. Of course, I heard about Peak Oil on late night talk radio, and I've thought plenty about that. If the former SecDef said those things then the implication would seem to be, yes, we can cause earthquakes! Astonishing if you think about it. You can't accept everything you read on the internet. I read on the internet that George Bush squinted his eyes and mocked the woman slated for execution in Texas. I knew that I would have to research to see if the story was true because it implied that Bush was an evil man, and at that time time it was an idea that I didn't want to accept. Well I researched it, and so, yes, George Bush is an evil man. I'm not glad about it. But with regards to HAARP, I am growing weary of trying to track down the truth of what I read on the internet. It has allowed me to exchange ideas with a young student in Japan on the decline of educational achievement, it has allowed me to swap jokes with a lively humorous chap from Ireland, and it has allowed my to even get drunk and send the uninhibited, unvarnished truth to thousands of people all over the world. I guess what I am trying to say, Barbara, is that if my govenment can cause earthquakes at will, then its hold on to your hats and bar the door, Katie. Look out! cause here come Uncle Sam!

[Barbara]

Penultimate and Mudpuppy,
I wouldn't worry too much about *your* govt being evil. I've heard there are some Haarp-type projects going on in Norway and Russia too. It seems all the Haarp experiments are located on Arctic circle (read this: http://globalresearch.ca/articles/FAA412A.html).
Of course, *your* famous govt seems to be the most interested in oil, but mad people doesn't have an exact citizenship...

[khebab]

I don't see how low frequency electromagnetic pulses could initiate an earthquake. The electromagnetic energy should somehow be converted into mechanical energy. The most probable impact could be the destruction of all the electronic equpment within the area. This is star trek science! Another theory running around is that sonic waves used by oil prospectors in the region had triggered the earthquake! nonsense.

[spear]

del

[PenultimateManStanding]

I don't see how low frequency electromagnetic pulses could initiate an earthquake. The electromagnetic energy should somehow be converted into mechanical energy.

The mechanical potential energy is there already and doesn't need to be created. All they would have to do is find some mechanism to release the tectonic energy. Can they really do that? I don't know - kinda doubt it but who knows? I guess I'll go look at Barbara's link and see whats up.

[Euric]

Just read this article on Indymedia Portland:
http://portland.indymedia.org/en/2004/12/307042.shtml

Let alone the conpiracy tone, it really rang a bell. And later, I saw a footage on mainstream news about the Aceh province, the plenty of oil they have, the civil war they were fighting against indonesian troops supported by US troops, and the fact that they were the most heavily hitted province (80.000 deaths).
Guess where are the US troops rushing to "help"? In Aceh!

Call me nuts, but I begin to believe in this Haarp theory...

If the Americans really do have a means to trigger earthquakes, and tsunamis that can kill hundreds of thousands of people at once, then how long would it be before someone else is able to do the same?

One must remember that the American west coast is full of seismic faults that also produce earthquakes of great magnitudes. A country like North Korea can do the same amount of damage to Los Angelas just by triggering a massive earthquake along the San Andreas fault. California and especially Los Angelas is the heart of America's cultural exports. Damage to this town would extend much beyond the crumbled buildings.

I wonder if the Americans ever wonder if the destruction they may leash upon the world may one day return to haunt them a million fold.

[Kingcoal]

Setting off an earthquake with sonic or electromagnetic energy is like the straw breaking the camel's back. An earthquake has to be on its way already. You might be able to trigger it a couple seconds earlier than normal this way, but that's about it.

While I do believe that the US is studying the situation for possibilities for gain, that's not illegal. The US aid to the area will be remembered and the countries that reached out to help will build political capital with the victim nations. Bush's initial coldness is due to the fact that he is an idiot, but the rest of the world knows that already. I was talking with a Chinese friend the other day and he told me that the Chinese government has grown accustomed to Bush and adapted. In his opinion, at least Bush is predictable.

[PenultimateManStanding]

I live in San Diego, Ric, so the San Andreas fault can't touch me!

[Barbara]

Update.
Just read on a leading italian newspaper about the story of Banda Aceh: they're fighting a civil war about oil, and against Exxon Mobil and the international corporations. US is aiding Indonesian govt to fight against the rebels in order to gain the oil in the province. That's why on the eve news you're seeing a lot of US helicopters already there.
If you look at the map, you see the heart of the earthquake being veeery close to Banda Aceh. I tend to believe somebody tried to engineer an useful earthquake but the result went out of hands.

(again: no offence to US citizens)

[spot5050]

Hi Barbara,

The article you linked to says things like:

"The oil rich Aceh area, which like Iraq, was suffering from a civil war making oil extraction difficult. THE AMERICAN NAZI ANSCHLUSS MOVES OUT FROM IRAQ AND AFGHANISTAN--INTO ACEH"

(Their emphasis not mine.)

That's rather off-the-scale for me. Maybe the author hasn't heard of the principle that as soon as you try to link your opponent to Hitler's Nazis, you've lost all credibility.

Another problem I have with that article is right at the top; it says "author: various". It's a site where anyone can write any rubbish they like and submit it, but it's then presented professionally to give it the look of a authoritative news item.

I read some of the other articles on that site and it seemed to be mainly for eco-terrorists and conspiracy theorists. Very extreme stuff.

[jeffvail]

Indonesia, a muslim nation of 270+ million, sits like a divider between China and Australia. A unified, strong Indonesia acts as an Australian barrier against Chinese expansionism, which may be why Australia donated a massive $750 million towards reconstruction. If indonesia crumbles, then China will be able to use the colonial model that Britain pioneered in India to pick apart the pieces and expand their influence in the strategic--and petroleum rich--region...

Read the Article HERE

[Kingcoal]

Don't worry mate, neither America nor the UK will let China annex Australia. Taiwan has an agreement with the US for protection, which will be honored. China will be contained.