Indonesia’s Maha Field Starts Gas Production at 250 Million Cubic Feet per Day
Key Facts
Eni announced on October 30, 2026, that gas production had started at the Maha field in the Kutei Basin offshore Indonesia, 21 months after the final investment decision. The field has production capacity of 250 million standard cubic feet per day, according to a company statement published via MarketScreener. Once it reaches its target capacity, total output from the Jangkrik floating production unit and the South Hub will rise to a peak of 750 million cubic feet per day. The start-up adds new production to the company’s regional gas system, while the project’s design connects the field to existing infrastructure. Eni said the gas will be directed to Indonesia’s domestic market and the Bontang liquefied natural gas plant.
Maha is located in the West Ganal block at a water depth of about 1,000 meters and comprises two subsea production wells. The wells are connected to the existing Jangkrik floating unit by flowlines extending about 12 kilometers, according to Eni’s statement. The connection enables gas to be transported to the unit for initial processing on board before being sent through the pipeline network. From there, the gas goes to the domestic market and the Bontang liquefaction plant. The facility supplies liquefied natural gas to domestic and export markets, the company said.
The supply routes place the facility within a chain linking offshore production, processing and transport to consumers and the liquefaction plant. Indonesia’s domestic market is one destination for the gas, while Bontang serves both the domestic market and export markets through liquefied gas. This means the new production will be integrated into an existing network rather than relying on a separate processing facility for the field, with Eni pointing to the use of the existing Jangkrik unit. The company also links Maha’s addition to raising combined output from Jangkrik and the South Hub to a peak of 750 million cubic feet per day. Maha alone has capacity of 250 million standard cubic feet per day, according to the statement.
Maha’s start-up is part of the portfolio of Searah, the joint venture between Eni and Petronas, established in June 2026 with equal ownership of 50% each. Its portfolio includes 19 producing and under-development gas assets, including 14 in Indonesia and five in Malaysia. Searah currently produces about 350,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day and aims to exceed 500,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day by 2028. These figures define a broader regional scope than the start-up of a single field, with assets spanning two countries and encompassing both current production and projects under development. Maha is one of the assets in this activity in Indonesia, according to Eni’s statement.
The next step in developing production infrastructure is the Gendalo and Gandang project, which is expected to start operations and connect to the Jangkrik unit in 2028. Eni said the connection will extend peak production beyond the end of the contract, indicating that the targeted output level from Jangkrik and the South Hub will not be limited to the Maha start-up phase. The scheduled date comes two years after Searah’s target to exceed 500,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day. The planned project will add another source of gas to the existing unit, the company said. Maha’s current production path is therefore linked to the next expansion plan announced for 2028.