In the frame are key existing Indonesian upstream players Unocal, ExxonMobil, Conoco and TotalFinaElf while Shell and Petrobras are also said to have expressed an interest, according to an industry source.
The six prime Makassar Strait blocks - Popodi, Papalang, Donggala, Taritip, Jangeru and Tanjung Aru - are in water depths of more than 1500 metres and represent the first-ever batch to be offered directly by the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources (Migas) and not state-owned oil and gas company Pertamina.
The
