BAKU, Azerbaijan April 20. Italian energy
company Eni has announced a major gas discovery at the Geliga-1
exploration well in the Ganal block of the Kutei Basin, offshore
Indonesia, Trend reports via the company.


The well, drilled in the Kutei Basin approximately 70 kilometres
off the coast of East Kalimantan, has encountered preliminary
in-place resources estimated at around 5 trillion cubic feet (Tcf)
of gas and 300 million barrels of condensate.


Geliga-1 was drilled to a total depth of about 5,100 metres in
water depths of roughly 2,000 metres. The well encountered a
substantial gas column in a Miocene-aged reservoir, which is
described as having strong petrophysical characteristics. A Drill
Stem Test (DST) is planned to evaluate reservoir productivity.


The discovery forms part of a broader exploration success story
in the Kutei Basin. It follows the Geng North giant discovery in
late 2023, located about 20 km to the south, and the Konta-1
discovery announced in December 2025. Together, these findings
reinforce the basin’s significant gas potential and the scalability
of its resources.


Eni noted that Geliga-1 comes after recent final investment
decisions (FIDs) for the Gendalo and Gandang gas project (South
Hub), as well as the Geng North and Gehem fields (North Hub). The
North Hub development includes a new floating production, storage
and offloading (FPSO) unit with a capacity of 1 billion cubic feet
per day (bscfd) of gas and 90,000 barrels per day of condensate,
alongside the existing Bontang LNG plant.







The company said ongoing studies are assessing accelerated
development options, leveraging proximity to existing
infrastructure to reduce time-to-market and optimize costs. The
Geliga discovery lies near the undeveloped Gula gas field, which
holds an estimated 2 Tcf of gas in place and 75 million barrels of
condensate.


Preliminary assessments suggest that combined resources from
Geliga and Gula could support production of up to 1 bscfd of gas
and 80,000 barrels per day of condensate, potentially enabling the
development of a third production hub in the basin. Studies are
also underway to expand capacity at the Bontang LNG plant beyond
current North Hub plans, extending its operational life.


Over the past six months, Eni has drilled four additional
exploration wells in the basin, with further drilling planned in
2026 and 2027.