Eni approves development plan for Merakes discovery, offshore Indonesia
MILAN -- Eni announces the approval of a development plan for the Merakes field, offshore East Kalimantan, Indonesia. The energy minister granted approval just three months after the submission of the plan and less than 11 months after Eni started production from its deepwater Jangkrik asset in Muara Bakau, Indonesia.
The Merakes field is estimated to hold about 2 Tcf of natural gas, is in 1,500 m water depth, 35 km southwest of the Jangkrik floating production unit (FPU). The field was discovered by the Merakes 1 well in 2014 which encountered lean gas in high-quality reservoir sands of Pliocene age. In January 2017, Eni successfully drilled and tested the Merakes 2 appraisal well, recording excellent gas deliverability.
The proximity of Merakes discovery to the Jangkrik FPU will allow Eni to maximize synergies with existing nearby infrastructures as well as reduce costs and start-up time of this second deepwater development in Indonesia.
The approved plan foresees the drilling and completion of six subsea wells and the construction and installation of subsea systems and pipelines which will be connected to the Jangkrik FPU. The gas will be shipped through the existing pipelines from the Jangkrik FPU to the Bontang LNG processing facility in East Kalimantan.
Merakes production, combined with Jangkrik, will contribute to the life extension of the Bontang LNG facilities, which supplies LNG to domestic and export markets.
The approval of the Merakes development plan is a fundamental step to progress towards the final investment decision of the project. Merakes is another outcome of the Eni “near field” exploration and appraisal strategy. “We are proud of Eni’s partnership with Indonesia, a key country in the company’s global strategies,” said Eni’s CEO, Claudio Descalzi.
Eni is the operator of East Sepinggan PSC through its subsidiary Eni East Sepinggan Limited which holds 85% participating interest, while Pertamina Hulu Energy holds the remaining 15%.
