Gas
Eni launches gas production at Maha field off Indonesia
Italian energy company Eni has commenced natural gas extraction at the offshore Maha field in Indonesia to supply domestic networks and the Bontang facility.
Key points
- Production started 21 months after the final investment decision.
- The field adds 250 million standard cubic feet per day of capacity.
- Output feeds the Jangkrik floating production unit and the Bontang liquefaction plant.
What happened
According to LNG Prime, Italian energy firm Eni commenced natural gas extraction from the Maha deposit within the Kutei Basin, situated offshore Indonesia. Operations began 21 months following the project's final investment decision.
Positioned inside the West Ganal block at a depth near 1,000 metres, the installation features two subsea wells linked to the pre-existing Jangkrik floating production unit via roughly 12 kilometres of flowlines. Processed hydrocarbons move through pipeline infrastructure to serve domestic consumers and the Pertamina-run Bontang liquefaction facility, which handles both local and international shipments.
Eni stated that the reservoir yields 250 million standard cubic feet per day. This addition elevates the combined output of the Jangkrik unit and the South Hub to a sustained plateau of 750 million standard cubic feet daily. Subsequent integration of the Gendalo and Gendang initiative in 2028 is projected to maintain this volume past the decade's close.
Management of the Maha field falls to Searah, an independent upstream entity formed via a collaboration between Eni and Petronas. The milestone follows the May 2025 start of Merakes East and aligns with 2026 investment decisions for the North and South Hubs.
Why it matters
For energy planners and international investors, rapid execution timelines demonstrate how deepwater asset development can successfully monetize offshore gas reserves to bolster regional energy availability and export volumes. Indonesia maintains an electricity access rate of 99.9 percent as of 2024, according to World Bank figures, alongside a clean cooking access rate of 90 percent. Fuel exports accounted for 16 percent of merchandise exports in 2025.
In comparison, global electricity access stood at 91.9 percent in 2024, with clean cooking access at 75.4 percent. For African hydrocarbon producers such as Nigeria, replicating this pace of subsea tie-back execution offers a viable model for accelerating domestic gas supply projects while simultaneously expanding liquefied natural gas export capabilities.
Original reporting
This article draws on the following reports. Read them in full on the publishers’ sites.
Context from CEII
Gas is the flexible backbone of many grids and the designated transition fuel in many national plans, from LNG trade to domestic LPG and CNG. Supply security and pricing drive both power reliability and emissions.
12.5% of electricity in Indonesia came from gas in 2024Countries in this story
Written by the CEII Desk, the Centre’s automated newsroom, from the reporting credited above and CEII’s own data. Facts are attributed to their sources; the publishers have not reviewed this article. Spotted an error? Tell our editors.
