Empowering Future Champions through Delegates Talk 1.0
Jan 22, 2024
Written By: Arya Nugraha Aulia Rahman Yusup
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MedcoEnergi Cuts 43,000 Tons of Carbon Emissions to Support Indonesia’s Energy Transition
Surabaya, SPE ITS SC – PT MedcoEnergi Internasional Tbk, commonly known as MedcoEnergi, is a leading Indonesian company engaged in the Oil & Gas, Power Generation, and Copper & Gold Mining businesses. In the Oil and Gas sector, MedcoEnergi focuses on exploration and production activities, primarily within Indonesia.As of today, Friday, October 24, 2025, the Sustainable Development Report on its official website highlights Indonesia’s progress toward achieving SDG 7 – Affordable and Clean Energy. The report shows that Indonesia is moderately improving, although significant challenges remain. This demonstrates Indonesia’s continuous efforts to achieve the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and its broader vision of realizing Indonesia Emas 2045.On Monday, October 13, 2025, MedcoEnergi announced through an official press release that the company has been reducing its gas fuel consumption to improve operational efficiency and support the national energy transition agenda. Several initiatives have been implemented across its oil and gas assets. One of the key initiatives is the optimization of the Waste Heat Boiler (WHB) operating mode at the Grissik field, Corridor Block, South Sumatra. WHB is a type of boiler that recovers and utilizes residual heat and exhaust gases from production processes that is still have sufficient power to generate steam, in order to improving efficiency and reducing environmental impact. This optimization has successfully reduced carbon emissions by approximately 19,000 tCO₂e per year.Additional optimization efforts have also been carried out at both offshore and onshore sites. At the Natuna Offshore field, MedcoEnergi optimized operations at the Terubuk-Belida facility by rerouting production flow to operate without compressors, resulting in an annual emissions reduction of about 24,000 tCO₂e. Onshore, the company has implemented electrification—the conversion of systems or processes powered by fossil fuels to electricity-based systems—by switching from gas-fueled generators to the national clean power grid (PLN), alongside optimizing operational modes. Electrification helps reduce energy costs, improve energy efficiency, and support the transition to clean and renewable energy.“Fuel gas efficiency and emission reduction are not merely technical targets but integral to MedcoEnergi’s long-term sustainability roadmap. Since 2022, our initiatives have cumulatively reduced fuel gas consumption by around 18 MMscfd. This achievement reflects our commitment to sustainable innovation, operational excellence, and responsible energy development, creating long-term value for stakeholders while reducing our carbon footprint,” said Ronald Gunawan, Director & Chief Operating Officer of MedcoEnergi.This demonstrates that MedcoEnergi, as a major player in the oil and gas industry, is not solely driven by profitability but also operates responsibly, consciously contributing to environmental sustainability starting from within its own operations.Moving forward, MedcoEnergi will continue strengthening its sustainability agenda through both medium and long-term roadmaps, while also implementing new technologies such as the Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC)—a thermodynamic cycle that uses organic fluids instead of water to convert heat into electricity, Steam Turbine Generators which convert steam heat into power, and energy storage systems. These initiatives reaffirm MedcoEnergi’s role as an adaptive and responsible energy company, fully committed to supporting Indonesia’s energy resilience and sustainable future.Writer: Aura Hammada
PHE Output Under Pressure as Rokan Disruptions and West Qurna Closure Weigh on 2026 Production
PT Pertamina Hulu Energi (PHE), Indonesia's state-owned upstream oil and gas subsidiary, recorded total oil production of 475,000 barrels per day (bopd) through April 2026, a significant drop from the 556,000 bopd achieved across 2025. The company's CEO, Awang Lazuardi, attributed the decline to a combination of domestic operational setbacks and geopolitical turbulence abroad, revealing the breadth of pressures bearing down on Indonesia's largest upstream operator.At home, the most disruptive incident occurred at Blok Rokan in Riau, PHE's single largest producing asset. Early in the year, a gas supply disruption arose after a pipeline integrity failure, specifically a leak in a transmission line operated by Transportasi Gas Indonesia (TGI). The outage lasted more than 20 days, severely curtailing the gas-powered energy supply to production facilities across the block. "Average oil production at Rokan dropped quite sharply," Awang said during a hearing with the House of Representatives' Commission XII in late May. Domestic output for the period stood at 367,000 bopd, down from 396,000 bopd in 2025.Further domestic pressure came from Lapangan Banyu Urip, a joint-operated asset with ExxonMobil. PHE encountered facility constraints that limited efforts to ramp up gas production at the field, compounding the output shortfall at a time when the company was already struggling to recover losses at Rokan.On the international front, PHE holds a participating interest in West Qurna-1, an oil field in southern Iraq. Due to force majeure caused by the conflict between the United States, Israel, and Iran, the Iraqi government ordered a temporary shutdown of the field. The move cost PHE approximately 100,000 bopd of production. Though operations have since been permitted to resume, output remains at less than ten percent of capacity, allocated solely to meet Iraq's domestic needs, and a full recovery timeline remains uncertain.Together, these disruptions have pushed PHE's total production well below the government's 2026 lifting target of 610,000 bopd set in the state budget. Awang acknowledged the scale of the challenge but pointed to the temporary nature of several setbacks. Industry observers, however, note that structural vulnerabilities including aging infrastructure, geopolitical exposure, and dependence on a small number of high-output blocks continue to pose long-term risks to Indonesia's energy security goals.Written by: Akhirian Taka
Advanced Technology Push by SLB Strengthens PT Elnusa Tbk Growth Path
Surabaya, SPE ITS SC – PT Elnusa Tbk (IDX: ELSA), an integrated energy services company under Pertamina’s Upstream Subholding, is strengthening its wireline services capabilities through a new technology access program developed in collaboration with SLB.Wireline services are specialized upstream oil and gas operations that use cable-deployed tools to collect subsurface data and perform various well interventions. These services are essential for evaluating reservoir conditions and supporting exploration and production activities.The initiative, called Technology Access Enablement and Delivery to Elnusa, forms part of the company’s 2026 transformation agenda themed “Rediscover Technology & Innovation Edge,” which emphasizes technology-driven service development and operational competitiveness.Through the collaboration, Elnusa will gain access to advanced open hole and cased hole wireline logging tools, enabling the company to expand its service portfolio and address increasingly complex subsurface challenges in upstream operations.Elnusa Director of Operations Andri Haribowo said the program is designed to broaden the scope of the company’s wireline services while strengthening internal capabilities through a structured capacity-building approach.“This collaboration not only opens access to advanced open hole tools, but also enhances Elnusa’s internal competencies and operational capacity. Previously, our services were primarily focused on cased hole logging. With this initiative, we are expanding into advanced open hole logging, creating a more comprehensive service portfolio for our customers,” he said.The cooperation framework will be implemented in phases to ensure effective technology transfer and sustainable capability development. In addition to gaining access to advanced tools, Elnusa aims to strengthen operational procedures and develop internal talent capable of independently operating the technology in the future.The program also marks a new phase of collaboration between Elnusa and PT Schlumberger Geophysics Nusantara, an affiliate of SLB. According to Armando Ballesteros, Director of PT Schlumberger Geophysics Nusantara, the partnership reflects a shared commitment to supporting technology transfer and competency development in Indonesia’s upstream services sector.Industry experts note that the adoption of advanced wireline technology is becoming increasingly important as oil and gas reservoirs grow more complex. Advanced subsurface evaluation tools allow operators to better understand reservoir characteristics, improving decision-making while reducing exploration and development risks.Strategic partnerships between local service providers and global technology companies are also seen as a key driver of innovation in the energy sector. Such collaborations can accelerate the adoption of advanced technologies while strengthening domestic technical capabilities.With the launch of the program’s initial phase, Elnusa is positioning itself as a technology-driven upstream service provider, aiming to enhance operational efficiency while supporting the development of Indonesia’s oil and gas industry.Writer: Aura Hammada
Advancing Writing Skills through Scientific Writing Mastery
The need for effective scientific writing and paper review skills cannot be understated in the digital age, when information is generated at an unprecedented rate. In response to this, The Research and Information Division of SPE ITS SC held a Scientific Writing Mastery event that took place at Menara Sains TW1-301 on Friday, December 1, 2023 from 17.30–21.00. The purpose of the event is to provide participants with an understanding of paper reviews, ethical issues, and scientific writing techniques. Apart from that, a paper review simulation was conducted at the end of the event to increase participants' understanding of the materials presented. Especially for those aiming to succeed in competitions that require paper writing and review.Participants were not only university students, but there were also high school students who participated enthusiastically in the event. “Despite the limited promotion of our event due to unforeseen circumstances, we're pleasantly surprised that it still went smoothly, was well-attended, and received a positive turnout among the participants” said Daffa Hibatullah as the PIC of the event.Gemala Tri Hita Kirana and Valerie Anargya Gayatri, from Ocean Engineering ITS, as the champions of the PROTECT 2023 paper and poster competition, kicked off the event with insights into the technical aspects of scientific writing and an overview of paper competitions. Their presentations aimed to give the participants a solid grasp of what goes into crafting a good scientific paper. In the end, the speakers also encourage participants to take part in competitions as a means of improving their writing and analytical skills.The guest reviewer of IRRODL (Top 2 Canadian Open Access Education Journals), indexed by Scopus Q1, Aidatul Fitriyah from English Language and Literature Universitas Airlangga, presented the following session and gave an explanation of paper review and conducted a simulation. During her presentation, she not only discussed the academic components of paper reviewing; but also discussed her personal experiences, providing insight into the complexities of evaluating scholarly work for a prestigious journal.A paper review simulation was being conducted to take the learning experience a step further. One of the participant's papers was selected for a real-time review. This hands-on approach allowed participants to see how the principles discussed earlier in the session were applied in practice, the thought process, and attention to detail required for a thorough review. Also to identify strengths & weaknesses and provide constructive reviews for the participant.The event's success highlights the need for increased understanding and proficiency in scientific writing. In an era of rapid knowledge exchange, events such as these are crucial to maintain the quality and integrity of research as the scientific community continues to develop. "Our goal in organizing this event is for participants to improve their writing and research skills, and ultimately making valuable contributions to the advancement of research." ended Daffa.Written By: Arya Nugraha Aulia Rahman Yusup