Eni has reported a significant upstream milestone with the Geliga gas discovery, following the successful drilling of the Geliga-1 exploration well in the Ganal block within the Kutei Basin, offshore Indonesia. Situated roughly 70 km from the East Kalimantan coast, the well has yielded preliminary in-place resource estimates of around 5 trillion cubic feet (Tcf) of gas and 300 million barrels of condensate within the identified interval. This Geliga gas discovery reinforces the basin’s growing importance as a key hydrocarbon province.
Drilled to a total depth of approximately 5,100 meters in waters about 2,000 meters deep, the Geliga-1 well encountered a substantial gas column in the targeted Miocene interval. The reservoir exhibits excellent petrophysical characteristics, and a Drill Stem Test (DST) is scheduled to further evaluate its productivity. The Geliga gas discovery builds on a strong exploration trajectory in the Kutei Basin, coming after the Geng North giant discovery in late 2023, located 20 km south of Geliga, and the Konta-1 well discovery announced in December 2025. These successive findings highlight both the scale and repeatability of gas resources across the basin.
The discovery also aligns with recent Final Investment Decisions (FIDs) for major regional developments, including the Gendalo and Gandang gas project (South Hub), and the Geng North and Gehem fields (North Hub). The North Hub development will utilize a newly constructed FPSO with a capacity of 1 billion standard cubic feet per day (bscfd) of gas and 90,000 barrels per day (bpd) of condensate, alongside the existing Bontang LNG Plant. Ongoing technical evaluations are examining accelerated development pathways, particularly given the proximity to existing and planned infrastructure, which could enhance time-to-market and cost efficiencies. The Geliga gas discovery is located near the undeveloped Gula gas discovery, and early assessments suggest that combined resources from Geliga and Gula could support production of an additional 1 bscfd of gas and 80,000 bpd of condensate. This opens up the possibility of establishing a third production hub in the Kutei Basin, mirroring the North Hub model.
Over the past six months, Eni has drilled four additional exploration wells in the basin, with further drilling activity planned, including one well in 2026 and two in 2027. The Geliga-1 well lies within the Ganal PSC, where Eni holds an 82% operating stake and Sinopec the remaining 18%. This block forms part of a broader portfolio of 19 assets set to be transferred into Searah, a jointly controlled entity between Eni and Petronas announced in November 2025. Searah aims to advance approximately 3 billion barrels of oil equivalent (boe) of discovered resources while unlocking further exploration potential. The transaction is expected to close in Q2 2026, with a parallel process underway to sell a 10% stake in Eni’s Indonesia portfolio.
The Geliga gas discovery contributes additional value to this portfolio as Eni continues its long-standing presence in Indonesia, where it has operated since 2001 and maintains a diversified upstream footprint with net production of about 90,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day.
