By Calvin Purba
Italian oil and gas company Eni SpA is targeting the Maha gas field, located in the West Ganal PSC, offshore East Kalimantan, to begin operations in 2027/2028. This target has been delayed from the previous goal of 2026.
“In the future, we have several development plans for multiple fields, including Maha, Gandang, and Genalo—or what is commonly referred to as IDD and North Ganal. For Maha, if I’m not mistaken, the production timeline is 2027 or 2028,” said Heike Butar Butar, General Counsel / VP Legal Affairs at Eni during a hearing with Commission XII of the House of Representatives on Thursday (Feb 27).
The Maha gas field's operational target has been delayed. Previously, Neptune Energy Group Limited, one of the West Ganal partners, anticipated that the field would start operating in 2026.
Read also: Maha gas production rate not yet determined
Eni received POD-1 (Plan of Development) approval for the Maha field in December 2023. The gas field is expected to produce 200 MMSCFD of gas, an increase from the initial production capacity of 70 MMSCFD.
Gas production from the Maha field will help maintain export capacity from the Jangkrik Floating Production Unit (FPU) for an additional two years, according to Neptune. The Jangkrik FPU currently processes gas from fields in Muara Bakau PSC and the Merakes gas field in East Sepinggan PSC, both operated by Eni.
The Jangkrik FPU, which supplies gas to the Bontang LNG plant via pipeline, has the capacity to process 750 MMSCFD of gas.
In the West Ganal PSC, Eni holds a 40% interest as the operator, while Indonesia’s state-owned PT Pertamina (Persero) and European independent oil and gas firm Neptune Energy each hold a 30% stake.
Editing by Reiner Simanjuntak
