REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, SURABYA -- The regional energy and mineral resource office of East Java has formed a team to study the highly sensitive and controversial gas drilling plan of PT Lapindo Brantas Inc. in Sidoarjo.
The team is made up of experts from the Center for the Study of Disasters and Climate Change of the Institute of Technology of 10 Nopember (ITS) of Surabaya.
Head of the Energy and Mineral Resource office Dewi J Putriatni told reporters here on Monday the team would not only study the technical aspect but they also would look at it from the social and economic point of view.
Dewi said the team would make deep study of the real condition underground and the reaction of the local people to gas explorations and exploit5ations.
"We also want to know the extent of land that would sag as a result of mud spurting out from underground, and how the local people would react to that," she said.
She said the government gave three months to wrap up the study until 18 April, 2016 and the result of the study would be used for recommendation to be made.
The local people and observers have strongly opposed the plan after the traumatic ordeal of the people in neighboring area of Porong which has been buried under a lake of mud spurting from gas wells drilled by the same company years back.
Until now dispute still continues over compensation for the losses of property and lives in what is known as Lapindo mud disaster.
According to Energy and Mineral resources Minister Sudirman Said, Lapindo Brantas Inc had not been granted the license by the Upstream Oil and Gas Regulator (SKK Migas) to start operation in that area.
"Lapindo has not received clearance from the SKK Migas, let alone from the Oil and Gas Directorate General," Sudirman said earlier, adding, "I think the phase is still far from drilling."
He said he has asked SKK Migas to tell Lapindo to stop any activity that could anger the public.
He said there are two aspects - technical and social economic aspects to be studied before endorsing operation of Lapindo in that area.
"They could claim that it is safe technically, but business venture does not concern only technical aspects," he said.
Meanwhile the Commission for People Disappearance and Victims of Violence (Kontras) urged the government to cancel the drilling license for Lapindo Brantas as it has no concern for the principle of justice for victims.
"Make sure there would be no license before the settlement of legal process of the Lapindo mud disaster," Kontras coordinator Haris Azhar said in a statement in Jakarta earlier.
The Directorate General of Oil and Gas of the Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry said the process toward drilling new wells by PT Lapindo Brantas in Tanggulangin, Sidoarjo, East Java, has been stopped pending evaluation .
"The activities are stropped for evaluation of various aspects including social aspects," Oil and Gas Director General IGN Wiratmaja said here.
In response to question Wiratmaja said Lapindo had broken no law, saying its work program and budgeting is already approved by SKK Migas and it already has license from the regional administration.
"What the company has not had in hand is approval from the Oil and Gas Directorate General on working safety.
The process is done by phases, he said, adding before starting drilling a company needs to go through a number of phases.
The first phase is to get approval for work budget and program from the SKK Migas , followed by other phases including working safety from the Oil and Gas Directorate General, he repeated.
"We are coordinating with SKK Migas and now we decide to stop Lapindo Brantas from continuing any activity in that area as we see the risks including social risk," he said.
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