Eni has started gas production from the Merakes East field, in the Kutei basin, offshore Indonesia. The field is in the East Sepinggan block (Eni 85%, Op.) and will contribute up to 100 MMSCFD of gas or approx. 18,000 boepd to Eni’s production.
Merakes East is located in a water depth of 1,600 meters, approximately 10 km east of the Merakes Field. It is tied back via a subsea connection to the Jangkrik Floating Production Unit (FPU) operated by Eni, situated around 50 km away. This startup is another example of fast track development as the field was brought into production approximately 2 years from FID. After the initial processing onboard the FPU, the gas will be transferred via a pipe network to supply the internal market and the Bontang liquefaction plant, which supplies LNG for both the internal market and for export.
The start-up of Merakes East is another important step of Eni’s broader strategy to valorize the considerable gas resources held in Indonesia’s prolific Kutei Basin. Along with the ongoing development of the Maha field and the recent approval of the Plans of Development for the Northern Hub and Gendalo-Gendang, the East Merakes production start up is the result of the close cooperation between Eni and SKK Migas, Indonesia’s Upstream Regulator and Supervisor. It is consistent with the driver to positively impact the local content and to increase the utilization of available capacity at the Bontang LNG plant while also ensuring additional gas volumes for domestic consumption.