Indonesia awards 6 oil and gas blocks, offers 8 new blocks

JAKARTA, Sept 18 (Reuters) - Indonesia has awarded six oil and gas blocks with total estimated resources of 8.28 billion barrels of oil and 2.3 billion standard cubic feet of gas, and has put another eight blocks up for tender, the energy ministry said.

Here are the details:

• Indonesia awarded the Sapukala working area to Italian explorer ENI the energy ministry said late on Thursday. The area is estimated to have 2.31 billion standard cubic feet of gas resources.

• China's Sinopec was awarded the Bengara II working area, which is estimated to contain 1.05 billion barrels of oil.

• Indonesia awarded Natuna D-Alpha working area, with an estimated 2.86 billion barrels of oil, to Nations Petroleum, a unit of the Arsari Group, which is owned by President Prabowo Subianto's brother, Hashim Djojohadikusumo.

• Indonesia has long had plans to develop the Natuna D-Alpha block, one of the world's biggest untapped sources of natural gas with an estimated volume of 230 trillion cubic feet, but the gas has a high carbon dioxide content.

• The Puri and Pesut Mahakam working areas were awarded to Timur Hijau Investama, while the Rupat working area was awarded to the Hong Kong-based Cinda Energy.

• The energy ministry also made another eight oil and gas blocks available in the second round of oil and gas tenders starting on Thursday.