Italy’s energy giant Eni has revealed the results of a drill stem test (DST) that was carried out for its recent natural gas discovery off the coast of Indonesia, which confirmed reservoir productivity, strengthening the case for a third Kutei Basin hub in the Southeast Asian country.
Eni unveiled its gas discovery at the Geliga‑1 exploration well in April 2026. This gas find is located within the Ganal block in the Kutei Basin offshore Indonesia, approximately 70 kilometers from the East Kalimantan coast, with preliminary estimates indicating in-place resources of approximately 5 trillion cubic feet (tcf) of gas and 300 million barrels of condensate in the encountered interval.
The Italian energy giant has now disclosed that the discovery was tested, with DST results demonstrating high deliverability, further fortifying the strategic potential of Indonesia’s Kutei Basin and supporting accelerated development options leveraging existing and planned infrastructure.
The reservoir flowed at rates of up to 60 million standard cubic feet per day (scfd) during the test, constrained by the rig facilities, and with very limited pressure drawdown, said to confirm excellent deliverability. As a result, the Geliga‑1 well is estimated to produce a sustainable rate of approximately 200 million scfd of gas and about 10,000 barrels per day (bpd) of condensate.
Drilled in approximately 2,000 meters of water, the well reached a total depth of about 5,100 meters and intersected a substantial gas column in the targeted Miocene interval, characterized by excellent petrophysical properties.
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The well test results are perceived to further back the preliminary assessment of around 5 trillion cubic feet of gas and 300 million barrels of condensate in‑place within the encountered interval. This discovery is situated next to the undeveloped Gula gas discovery , estimated at approximately 2 tcf of gas in place and 75 million barrels of condensate.
According to Eni, early evaluations indicate that the combined Geliga and Gula discoveries could underpin incremental production of around 1 billion scfd of gas and 80,000 bpd of condensate. A plan of development (POD) is currently being prepared and is expected to be submitted to the government of Indonesia in the coming weeks.
The POD aims to enable the fast‑track development of a third production hub in the prolific Kutei Basin, alongside the Gendalo and Gandang gas project (South Hub) and the Geng North and Gehem fields (North Hub) , by leveraging the development concept currently being implemented for the North Hub project .
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Studies are also underway to assess liquefaction capacity at the Bontang plant beyond that already included in the North Hub POD, potentially enabling the reactivation of up to two additional LNG trains currently out of service. The Geliga‑1 discovery is located in the Ganal PSC, operated by Eni with an 82% interest, while Sinopec holds the remaining 18%.
The Ganal PSC is included in a portfolio of 19 blocks, encompassing 14 in Indonesia and 5 in Malaysia, that will be transferred to Searah , the Eni–Petronas jointly controlled company announced in November 2025. The new firm will combine assets, technical know‑how, and financial capacity to support growth and reinforce its presence in Southeast Asia.
The company’s business plan includes the development of approximately 3 billion barrels of oil equivalent (boe) of discovered resources, alongside the unlocking of significant exploration potential. Transition and set‑up activities are perceived to be progressing smoothly, with no critical issues currently anticipated.
The transaction closing remains confirmed for Q2 2026. The valorization to a third party of a 10% stake in the Eni Indonesia portfolio withheld from the Searah transaction is underway and expected to be concluded in 2026. The Geliga discovery is interpreted to add to the value of this sale.
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Eni is actively working to augment its oil and gas arsenal around the globe, as demonstrated by a recent natural gas discovery off the coast of Egypt.