Maha Field Starts Up Off Indonesia, Headed for 230 MMSCFD

Gas production has begun at the Maha field offshore Indonesia, with output set to climb to 230 million standard cubic feet per day (MMSCFD), the Eni-Petronas joint venture Searah announced.

Maha sits in the West Ganal block of the Kutei Basin, roughly 100 kilometres offshore Balikpapan, East Kalimantan. First gas arrived 21 months after the final investment decision (FID, the sanction point for a project's construction phase) — a fast cycle for a deepwater development by any basin benchmark.

What does the development look like?

The scheme comprises two subsea production wells in water depths of about 1,000 metres. Approximately 12 kilometres of pipelines and umbilicals (the control and supply lines linking subsea wells to surface facilities) tie the wells into the existing Jangkrik Floating Production Unit (FPU).

After initial processing on the FPU, gas flows through the established pipeline network to two outlets:

• Indonesia's domestic market
• The Bontang liquefaction plant, which serves both domestic users and LNG export customers

Searah expects Maha output to rise progressively to 230 MMSCFD. Eni puts the field's nameplate production capacity at 250 MMSCFD. The gap between the two figures is a company-level plateau target versus installed capacity, not a conflict in reporting.

Where does Maha sit in the bigger plan?

Maha forms one component of the South Hub development, which Searah expects to reach a combined production plateau of approximately 750 MMSCFD, including volumes processed through the Jangkrik FPU. That plateau should extend beyond the end of the decade, according to the venture, once the Gendalo and Gendang project starts up in 2028 with its own tie-in to the Jangkrik facility.

The Maha start-up follows two earlier execution milestones in the same corridor: completion of subsea facilities installation earlier in 2026 and first production from Merakes East in May 2025.

The FIDs for the North Hub — comprising Geng North and Gehem — and the South Hub — comprising Gendalo and Gendang — were announced in March 2026, anchoring the next phase of development around the Jangkrik infrastructure hub.

What did Searah say?

Mirko Araldi, CEO of Searah Muara Bakau, said: "The successful delivery of a complex deepwater offshore development safely and on schedule demonstrates what can be achieved through a shared purpose and excellent execution. This milestone reinforces our commitment to developing Indonesia's gas resources responsibly, efficiently and sustainably."

Who is Searah and what is the production target?

Searah was established in June 2026 as an independent upstream energy company, jointly owned by Eni and Petronas at 50% each. The portfolio spans 19 producing and development assets across Indonesia and Malaysia: 14 in Indonesia and five in Malaysia.

Current output stands at approximately 350,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day (boe/d). The company targets sustainable production above 500,000 boe/d by 2028, with Maha, the hub tie-ins and the sanctioned Gendalo-Gendang project forming the bridge to that number.

The watch item: first gas from Gendalo and Gendang in 2028, which determines whether the 750 MMSCFD South Hub plateau holds past the decade's end.