Eni announced a major gas discovery at the Geliga-1 wildcat in the Ganal block, offshore Indonesia’s Kutei Basin in April 2026. The well, approximately 70km offshore, is estimated to contain around 5 Tcf of gas and 300 million barrels of condensate in place.
Drilled to ~5,100 m in 2,000m of water, Geliga-1 encountered a significant gas column in high-quality Miocene reservoirs, with drill stem test planned to assess productivity. The discovery follows recent successes including Geng North in 2023 and Konta-1 in 2025, reinforcing the basin’s scale and potential.
Geliga lies near existing and planned developments, including the North and South Hub projects, which will utilise new FPSO capacity and the Bontang LNG Plant in east Kalimantan. Together with the nearby undeveloped Gula discovery, early estimates suggest combined output could reach 1 bcfd of gas and 80,000 bpd of condensate, supporting a potential third production hub by emulating the development concept of the ongoing North Hub project.
The well sits in the Ganal PSC, operated by Eni (82 %) with Sinopec (18 %). The block will be part of Searah, a new joint venture (JV) with Petronas, expected to close in Q2 2026. The JV’s business plans include the development of approximately 3 billion barrels of oil equivalent of discovered resources and the unlocking of significant exploration potential. Eni is also progressing the sale of a separate 10 % stake in its Indonesia portfolio, with Geliga expected to enhance its value.
Eni was originally awarded the North Ganal block as operator in the 1st Indonesian International Bid Round 2011, with Niko Resources Ltd., Black Platinum Energy Ltd, Statoil and GDF SUEZ. Following various changes, most recently in 2023, Eni bought out the Chevron interest in the Rapak, Ganal and Makassar Straits blocks, and acquired Neptune’s Indonesian interests. Eni currently holds majority operatorship in nine Kutei Basin production sharing contracts.
