Eni and PETRONAS, through their 50/50 joint venture Searah, have started gas production at the Maha field in the Kutei Basin, offshore Indonesia (Eni press release, 30/10/2026). The field has started production 21 months after the final investment decision (FID), with a production capacity of about 250 mcf/d (2.6 bcm/year).
The Maha field lies in a water depth of about 1,000 m. It is developed with two subsea production wells tied back to the existing Jangkrik Floating Production Unit (FPU) through about 12 km of flowlines. The field is a component of the South Hub project, whose final investment decision was announced in March 2026, and it brings its combined production capacity to about 750 mcf/d (7.8 bcm/year). Eni aims to start-up and integrate the South Hub (Gendalo & Gendang projects= to the Jangkrik FPU in 2028.
Searah was established in June 2026 by Eni and PETRONAS. The company’s portfolio comprises 19 gas-producing and development assets, including 14 in Indonesia and 5 in Malaysia. Searah currently produces approximately 350 kboe/d (about 128 mboe/year), with a target above 500 kboe/d (about 183 mboe/year) by 2028.