Indonesia awards exploration rights for five blocks

JAKARTA, May 23 (Reuters) - Indonesia awarded exploration rights for five oil and gas blocks to several companies on Friday including Italy's Eni, Malaysia's Petronas and China's CNOOC, a senior energy ministry official said.

The exploration rights could help Asia's only OPEC member but Southeast Asia's top diesel and gasoline importer lift its oil output and reduce the impact of high international oil prices on its budget.

Luluk Sumiarso, a director general at the ministry, said the government had awarded the exploration rights for the West Timor block to Italy's biggest oil and gas group, Eni.

The award for the Southeast Palung Aru block went to a consortium of China's CNOOC and Malaysia's Petronas while Genting Oil, a unit of Malaysia's Genting Bhd , obtained the exploration rights for the Kasuri block.

"The drilling of nine exploration wells will cost $157 million and the total investment for these blocks could reach $201.45 million," Sumiarso told reporters.

The country also awarded the exploration rights for the Rangkas block to Lundin Oil and Gas B.V., and the exploration rights for South Barito went to Murphy Overseas Venture.

Indonesia's crude oil output for April was estimated at 854,800 barrels per day, slightly below the March figure of 859,000 barrels but higher than December's output of 837,600 barrels.

(Reporting by Muklis Ali, writing by Harry Suhartono, editing by Sugita Katyal)

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