In a bid to bolster oil and gas exploration in the under-explored eastern side of Indonesia, the government will offer 30 new oil and gas blocks in that area this year along with a new package of incentives, an officials aid Monday.

The incentive includes flexibility for investors for not having an obligation to drill wells at first year of the exploration, said Priyono, director for the upstream oil and gas industry with the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources.

"However, we will limit investors' exploration rights to two or three years for one block as soon as they consider the area is not prospective to avoid any idle land coming up," he was quoted by major national newspaper The Jakarta Post's website as saying.

Priyonoa admitted that the blocks, which are mostly located in deep-water areas in Papua and Nusa Tenggara, were very difficult to be explored.

The 30 blocks, he said, would be offered through regular tenders and direct offers in two phases, which would be started in May or June this year.

Source: Xinhua