Indonesia’s Recent Move to Join BRICS: What the Move Means for the Oil and Gas Industry?

The Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE) ITS SC held an educational program called Energy4me for more than 20 science club members at Gloria Christian Junior High School. The program aimed to raise awareness about the importance of energy in life, increase understanding of energy and its implementation, and foster enthusiasm in the oil and gas industry.The PIC of the event Asri Dewayanti said Energy4me is an educational program that educates the public about energy and promotes energy consciousness. This program was developed by the Society of Petroleum Engineers to help students understand the science behind the industry and the career opportunities available. "We believe that energy is the most crucial and hot issue right now. Therefore, to increase the potential of the nation's resources, it is our responsibility as a youth to take the initiative to accommodate the discussion forum for sharing knowledge,” added Asri. The program that was held on March 15th included several experiments. One of the experiments was exploring oil seeps. Oil and gas seeps are natural springs where liquid and gaseous hydrocarbons leak out of the ground. These seeps are fed by natural underground accumulations of oil and natural gas. The activity modeled the formation and process of oil seeps. “The students learned how the density of oil and Earth's materials contribute to the process and any modifications that could be made to the model,” continued Asri.Another experiment was Pump it Up, where the students learned how oil and natural gas are pumped from the earth. There are two methods that can be used: primary recovery and secondary recovery. Primary recovery is when oil comes out due to its own pressure, while secondary recovery is when oil is pumped out by injecting natural gas or water into the formation. “In primary recovery, the students learned how to drill for oil with the help of a chemical reaction between bicarbonate and acetic acid,” explained Asri.The third experiment was Perforated Well Casing. Perforation refers to a hole punched in the casing, or liner, of an oil well to connect it to a reservoir of oil or gas. These holes in the good casing allow oil and gas to flow easily into the wellbore, increasing the production of a reservoir. The students learned about the differences in the production of a perforated and non-perforated well casing. “They also discussed the model limitations and ways to improve the experiment,” added Asri.Furthermore, Asri explained, the final experiment was Water Injection, where the students learned about oil drilling using the secondary recovery method of extracting oil by pushing it up with the help of water. The experiment showed how pumping water into a formation can push oil upwards. It demonstrated that more oil can be extracted when water is pumped in the same system or a different pipeline.Asri Dewayanti also emphasized the importance of energy literacy and the need to educate the public about energy. "Education is an effort to prepare future generations who are better, agile, and skilled. It fits perfectly with the need to develop people who have energy literacy and are interested in the oil and gas industry," said Asri.The event was also a part of SPE ITS SC's actualization of social responsibility with the community around and to achieve SDGs 4 Quality Education and 7 Affordable and Clean Energy. Through this collaboration, SPE ITS SC hopes to contribute to building an energy-conscious and educated society. “It was a great honor that we could collaborate with one of the Junior High schools around us in addressing this matter. We feel such events are crucial to maintaining an energy community for a better future,” ended Asri. By: Tyara Novia Andhin

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

With the aim of raising awareness about the significance of health, the Community Outreach Division  SPE ITS SC has taken the initiative to organize a medical check-up event called "HEAL” (Healthy Empowerment and Active Living). The event was successfully conducted in collaboration with the Asian Medical Students' Association (AMSA) Universitas Airlangga. Last year, SPE ITS SC also collaborated with AMSA Universitas Airlangga for the same event. SPE ITS SC decided to collaborate with AMSA Universitas Airlangga again as it allowed the committee to proactively monitor and evaluate individuals' health, detect potential issues early, and promote preventive care.  Took place on 26th November 2023 at Taman Harmoni Keputih Surabaya, from morning to afternoon, this initiative stems from a recognition of the limited knowledge and awareness surrounding personal health in these communities. “SPE is committed to the welfare of the community, hence we are inspired to conduct health checkup activities for underprivileged communities due to lack of knowledge and awareness of the importance of personal health.” said Ghassa as the Project Officer of the event.  In order for the event to be successful, the committee promoted the activities by contacting the head of the local neighborhood association such as RT and RW. “In addition, I distributed brochures to local residents. We maximize promotion by distributing brochures and inviting people around the park on the day of the event. In addition, we also maximized promotion by using SPE's Instagram.” added Ghassa.From the event, the committee successfully checked various health tests, including uric acid, glucose blood sugar, and blood pressure. And although the event ran smoothly, the committee encountered a challenge during data collection due to the overwhelming number of participants. Unfortunately, many residents had to leave empty-handed as the health check tools had run out.In the end, the event turned out to be a significant success, leaving a positive impact in the community. “Residents around Harmony feel very helped by the free health test activities.” Ghassa said. This free medical check-ups event at Taman Harmony has proven to be immensely beneficial for local residents. A considerable number of individuals had never undergone health checkups previously, primarily due to financial constraints and limited awareness about healthcare. Encouraged by the positive impact, residents in the Harmony Park area have expressed a desire to establish free health testing as an annual community event. This growing sentiment underscores the community's recognition of the importance of proactive healthcare and its eagerness to prioritize the well-being of its residents.Written By: Arya Nugraha Aulia Rahman Yusup

The Piper Alpha disaster, which occurred in the evening of July 6, 1988, remains the deadliest offshore oil tragedy in history. Located in the North Sea and operated by Occidental Petroleum, Piper Alpha was originally commissioned in 1976 as an oil production platform but later modified to address gas production too. These changes, however, were implemented without adequate redesign or risk analysis, introducing weakness that would eventually be disastrous. That evening, a routine maintenance product escalated into an uncontrollable fire, killing 167 of the 226 individuals on board. Just 61 workers survived the disasters.The tragedy started while performing maintenance on Pump A, where a safety valve was taken out of the pipe and was sealed temporarily using a loose blind flange. Due to failure in the permit-to-work procedure, this important information had not been passed onto the night shift. When Pump B failed during the middle of the night, the crew unknowingly re-started Pump A, which caused a massive gas leak. Shortly after, there was a massive explosion, followed by subsequent explosions and uncontrolled fires. The fire suppression system, which was in manual for diving operations, did not get its activation signal in time.The Cullen Inquiry revealed systematic failures: poor shift communication, faulty platform design, and a safety culture that prioritized production. Gas units were sited perilously close to the control room, and there were few barriers to stop fire spread. Emergency preparedness and equipment maintenance were similarly found to be woefully inadequate.The disaster caused immense loss—167 lives, over £1.7 billion in damages, and a 670-ton oil spill with serious environmental impact. In response, the UK overhauled offshore safety regulations. All 106 recommendations from the Cullen Report were adopted, including a shift to a “goal-setting” safety approach and the introduction of the “Safety Case” system. Requiring companies to provide detailed documentation of hazards, risk management, and mitigation strategies. Regulatory oversight was also transferred to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) to eliminate conflicts of interest.The Piper Alpha disaster marked a turning point in industrial safety worldwide. It emphasized the paramount importance of effective shift communication, disciplined maintenance of safety equipment, good design, and a safety-first attitude at the workplace. It also demonstrated that it is rarely one error that results in catastrophe, but a sequence of ignored risks and poor decisions.