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Eni announced on Thursday that the Geliga‑1 discovery, located 70 km off the East Kalimantan coast in the Ganal Block within the Kutei Basin, had been successfully tested.
A drill stem test was carried out, confirming “outstanding” reservoir productivity.
During DST, the tested reservoir flowed at rates of up to 60 million standard cubic feet per day (mmscfd), constrained by the rig facilities, and with very limited pressure drawdown, confirming “excellent” deliverability.
Based on the DST results, the Geliga‑1 well is estimated to produce a sustainable rate of approximately 200 MMSCFD of gas and about 10,000 barrels per day (bpd) of condensate, according to Eni.
Eni said the well test results further confirm the preliminary assessment of approximately 5 trillion cubic feet (Tcf) of gas and 300 million barrels of condensate in‑place within the encountered interval.
Boosting Bontang LNG
The new discovery is located next to the undeveloped Gula gas discovery, estimated at approximately 2 Tcf of gas in place and 75 million barrels of condensate.
Early evaluations indicate that, when combined, Geliga and Gula could underpin incremental production of around 1,000 mmscfd of gas and 80,000 bpd of condensate, Eni said.
A plan of development (POD) is currently being prepared and is expected to be submitted to the government of Indonesia in the coming weeks.
Eni said 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.
In parallel, studies are 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, Eni said.
When announcing FID for the Gendalo and Gandang gas project and the Geng North and Gehem fields in Indonesia in March, Eni said that the development plan includes extending the operating life of the Bontang LNG plant by reactivating one of its currently idle liquefaction trains (Train F).
Last year, Pertamina’s Bontang LNG export facility in Indonesia’s East Kalimantan shipped its 10,000th cargo of LNG since 1977.
The eight-train facility has a production capacity of about 22.5 mtpa.
However, its production has been decreasing during the last two decades due to a lack of natural gas supplies.
According to Badak LNG, the operator of the facility, three out of eight liquefaction trains are currently operational.
Petronas JV
The Geliga‑1 discovery is located in the Ganal PSC, operated by Eni with an 82 percent interest, while Sinopec holds the remaining 18 percent.
The Ganal PSC is part of a portfolio of 19 blocks (14 in Indonesia and 5 in Malaysia) that will be contributed to Searah, a jointly controlled company between Eni and Malaysia’s Petronas announced in November 2025.
Eni said Searah’s business plans include the development of approximately 3 billion barrels of oil equivalent (boe) of discovered resources and the unlocking of significant exploration potential.
Closing of the transaction is expected within the second quarter of 2026.
Eni said the valorization to a third party of a 10 percent stake in the Eni Indonesia portfolio withheld from the Searah transaction is underway and expected to be concluded in 2026.
The Geliga-1 discovery adds to the value of this sale, the firm added.