The Maha gas field connects to the existing Jangkrik FPU offshore Indonesia. Credit: m.afiqsyahmi/Shutterstock.com.
Italian energy company Eni has commenced gas production from the Maha field, situated in the West Ganal block of the Kutei Basin offshore Indonesia.
The milestone was achieved 21 months after taking a final investment decision (FID).
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The Maha field lies in approximately 1,000m of water and is connected to the existing Jangkrik floating production unit (FPU) by approximately 12km of subsea flowlines.
Initial treatment of the gas occurs aboard the FPU before it is directed via pipeline to supply Indonesia’s domestic market. From there, it also feeds the Bontang liquefaction plant, which supports both domestic and export requirements.
With the Maha field capable of delivering up to 250 million standard cubic feet per day (mscf/d), the combined production plateau from the Jangkrik FPU and the South Hub now stands at 750mscf/d.
Eni anticipates that the start-up and integration of the Gendalo & Gendang project in 2028 will help maintain this output plateau beyond the end of the decade.
The Maha field is operated by Searah, an upstream company created through a partnership between Eni and Petronas which was established in June 2026.
Eni and Petronas each hold a 50% stake in Searah, which oversees a portfolio of 19 gas-producing and development assets across Indonesia and Malaysia.
Searah’s portfolio includes 14 assets in Indonesia and five in Malaysia, with current production quoted at approximately 350,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day (boepd), and aims to surpass 500,000boepd by 2028.
Prior to the Maha project, Eni began production at the Merakes East field offshore Indonesia in May 2025.
Earlier this year, the company took investment decisions for the North Hub (Geng North & Gehem) and South Hub (Gendalo & Gendang) projects.
Last month, Eni signed agreements to sell interests in select Searah-operated Indonesian assets to Pertamina and Medco.
Eni continues to directly operate additional projects in Indonesia, including the Peri-Mahakam production sharing contract (PSC), Makassar Strait PSC, and the recently awarded Sapukala block.
The activities in the Kutei Basin are intended to support Indonesia’s energy requirements and export capacity.
The progress at Maha results from coordinated efforts involving Searah, its stakeholders, and SKK Migas, Indonesia’s upstream oil and gas regulator.
Prior to this, Eni started operations at the Junín-5 oil field in Venezuela, less than two months after finalising the “Contrato de Participación Productiva de Hidrocarburos”.
The Junín-5 field is located within Venezuela’s Orinoco Belt and is described as a supergiant onshore heavy oil site, with certified oil in place totalling 35 billion barrels.
Eni has full operational responsibility for the project, covering technical, financial, and commercial management.
Plans for the field’s development include bringing abandoned wells back into use and carrying out an extensive drilling programme to establish new wells.
According to Eni, the first phase aims to increase oil production significantly, with a target of reaching 200,000bpd by 2028.
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Source: www.offshore-technology.com — article syndicated from the publisher’s feed; all rights remain with the original publisher.
