By Prensa Latina,
Jakarta : Indonesia may withdraw from OPEC, at least temporarily, due to the drop in its production that has caused it to be an importer and requires reactivating its plans to produce nuclear energy.
In a television appearance, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono informed that his country is no longer an exporter since it imports considerable amounts of oil.
The issue was discussed in a cabinet meeting on Monday dealing with the possibility of withdrawing from the Organization Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) at least until flows increase and it can be an honorable member.
The organization has assigned a daily quota of 1,3 million barrels to Jakarta that it has been unable to fulfill for five years. Its extraction rate today is less than a million tons.
Indonesia, the largest archipelago in the world and fourth in number of inhabitants admitted last year that its reserves of crude would be exhausted by 2020.
“Our wells are dry,” the president said.
In face of this situation the government decided to reactivate its nuclear energy program that was halted since the financial crisis in Asia in 1997-1998.
OPEC is also formed by Angola, Saudi Arabia, Algeria, Ecuador, United Arab Emirates, Iraq, Iran, Kuwait, Libya, Nigeria, Qatar and Venezuela.