U.S. oil companies Amerada Hess and ConocoPhilips are predicted to begin their production in East Java province separately in 2007 and 2008, following the approval of their plans by Indonesia's oil and gas watchdog BP Migas, local media reported in Jakarta on Saturday.

Amerada Hess forecasted to produce 10,000 barrel per day (bpd) of oil and 100 million cubic feet of gas from Pongkah in the province.

"Some plants will be on stream in the near future. In Pongkah block, we predict at the end of this year and it will be on stream. Next year, it will produce oil and gas," head of BP Migas Kardaya Warnika was quoted by the Bisnis Indonesia as saying.

Meanwhile, Warnika said that ConocoPhilip targeted to begin oil production in the Ketapang block in the fourth quarter 2008, with a capacity of 20,000 bpd.

Indonesia would have 64.29 percent of the oil production and 62. 5 percent of gas production from the two companies, he added.

Source: Xinhua