Eni has confirmed it was awarded a 100% participating interest in Indonesia's deepwater Sapukala exploration block, adding acreage adjacent to its existing portfolio and the future North Hub developments in the Kutei Basin.
The award, previously announced by Indonesia as part of its first 2026 petroleum bidding round, followed a joint study with an Indonesian academic institution and Eni's participation in the direct offer tender.
Sapukala lies offshore East Kalimantan in water depths of between 1,000 and 2,500 metres and is adjacent to blocks already operated by or involving Eni.
The acreage is also close to the future North Hub developments now operated by Searah, the 50-50 venture between Eni and Petronas. These include the Geng North, Gehem, Gula and Geliga gas and condensate discoveries, which together contain more than 14 trillion cubic feet of gas in place and 800 million barrels of condensate, according to Eni.
Eni has recently completed a new seismic acquisition program that also covers Sapukala, providing data for further evaluation of the block.
Under the initial three-year work program previously disclosed by Indonesia, Eni is expected to conduct geological and geophysical studies and acquire and process 1,500 square kilometres of 3D seismic data at Sapukala.
Eni directly operates the Peri-Mahakam and Makassar Strait blocks in Indonesia. Its Searah venture with Petronas has 19 producing and development gas assets across Indonesia and Malaysia, including 14 in Indonesia, and is producing around 350,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day.