Banyu Urip Oil Project Has Big Social Impact: Legislator

 Surabaya, E Java (Antara Bali) - The oil exploitation in Banyu Urip field in the Cepu Block located in East and Central Java will bring greatest positive impacts on the local people around the operation areas, a legislator said.

"What is important is the social impact of this project where the local people in the operation areas will be happy because the project will function as a new economic driver from the oil and gas sector," Satya Widya, the deputy chairman of Commission VII on energy affairs of the House of Representatives (DPR) said here on Sunday.

The project can increase the local people's skills who initially only have low skills, the lawmaker argued.

Best oil workers can be obtained from the local areas and this will continue to provide benefit, he said after inspecting a crude lifting process from the Gagak Rimang Floating Storage and Offloading (FSO) facility.

"Oil can be depleted but skills will not and could be used in any oil exploitation field anywhere in the world," the legislator said.

The lawmaker who is a politician of the Golkar party asked ExxonMobil and state-owned oil Pertamina to continue developing the local people's potential. They should avoid exclusivity so that the benefit of the oil project could be enjoyed by all layers of the people.

Therefore, he expressed hope that the project would become a main trigger for the development of national gas business for the benefit of the people.

"I hope there will be the same spirit. I am convinced oil and gas industry has been accustomed to price fluctuations. But what needs to be developed is the positive social impact of the project," Satya Widya said. (WDY)