THE PROBLEMATICAL SOLUTION OF SHALE GAS EXPLOITATION AS ALTERNATIVE ENERGY FOR NATIONAL INDEPENDENT OIL AND GAS

摘要

Shale gas is an unconventional energy which benefits and explores methane contained in the shale gas that certain maturity, high total organic contents, well bounded, and containing hydraulic fracture energy. Shale Gas is reservoir as well as source rock. Total reserves of shale gas in Indonesia is 574 TCF, that number is higher than the number of CBM and natural gas reserves that is respectively only 453.3 TCF and 334.5 TCF (BP Migas, 2012). In that case, Indonesia actually could get two benefits at once, these are economical benefits with a large number of production and also to cover the lack of a national oil and gas needs Although Indonesia has got a good opportunity , but so far Indonesia is still unable to exploit shale gas maximally. The existence of constraints such as the social cost and a production technology that became the main obstacle to the exploitation of shale gas in Indonesia as mentioned by energy observer of Reforminer Institute, Pri Agung Rahmanto (BP Migas, 2012). Based on that problems, some solutions are founded. The first solution is the exploitation of shale gas should be conducted in areas with a low population. Until this time, Indonesia has seven sedimentation basins that has good potential to generate economically valuable shale gas, which is distributed respectively three basins in Sumatera, two basins in Kalimantan, and two more in Java. From all that seven basins, only Baong Shale, Telisa Shale and Gumai Shale in Sumatera, two basins in Kalimantan, and Papuan Klasafet Formation that could be exploited with a low social cost. The second solution is by applicating hydraulic fracturing technology, it is method to separate gas by using water to break the rocks (shale) and release the gas. This process makes shale gas to be more and more commercially valuable than before.