World's First: PHR Implements AI-Based Advanced Reservoir Management at the Historic Minas Oil Field

• 23 Sep 2024
• mk.novian.kusmana

Pekanbaru – Pertamina Hulu Rokan (PHR) has made a groundbreaking achievement by reducing the natural decline rate of wells in the Minas oil field, Riau, from an annual average of 11% to 6%. This significant accomplishment was made possible through the deployment of an Artificial Intelligence (AI)-based Expert System as part of the Advanced Reservoir Management (ARM) initiative, applied to evaluate the production wells in the Rokan Working Area. Without drilling new wells, this technology has generated value creation amounting to IDR 200 billion through the assessment of 150 mature wells.

The AI system, referred to as VENUS, is an extension of the earlier e-MARS innovation and represents the world’s first AI-driven sub-surface evaluation process for reservoir management.

Afrilia Elisa, Senior Petroleum Engineer at PHR and Project Leader of VENUS, explained, “This innovation integrates subsurface geological and geophysical (G&G) data with dynamic data from surrounding wells, specifically evaluating injector locations within the Minas waterflood. The data is then processed through an AI Expert System that enables a comprehensive and simultaneous evaluation of hundreds of wells.”

EVP Upstream Business, Andre Wijanarko, praised the technological breakthrough, noting, “Even though the wells in Minas are over 80 years old, PHR’s innovation demonstrates how modern technology can unlock previously untapped reserves for production.”

Andre emphasized that PHR’s management encourages continuous creativity and innovation, particularly among younger professionals, to improve production efficiency and field optimization.

Vice President of Digital Transformation at SKK Migas, Rendra Utama, also commended PHR for the VENUS innovation, dubbing it "e-MARS 2.0," which highlights the reliability of digital technologies in enhancing production.

Looking ahead, Afrilia Elisa projected that VENUS will help evaluate up to 300 wells by the end of 2024, with an expected value creation of IDR 450 billion. PHR plans to apply the VENUS system to the Bangko-Balam field, which has characteristics similar to Minas, covering more than 600 wells.

About PHR WK Rokan
PT Pertamina Hulu Rokan (PHR), a subsidiary of PT Pertamina Hulu Energi (PHE), was established in December 2018 to manage the Rokan Working Area (WK), which spans approximately 6,200 km² across seven districts in Riau Province. PHR has been entrusted with managing the Rokan WK since August 2021 and will continue operations until 2041.

Rokan WK accounts for approximately a quarter of Indonesia's crude oil production and a third of Pertamina’s output. In addition to oil and gas production, PHR actively manages social and environmental programs, with a focus on education, healthcare, community development, and environmental sustainability.
 

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