Eni Wins 100% Stake in Indonesia’s Sapukala Deepwater Block

Italy’s Eni has been awarded the Sapukala block as part of Indonesia’s first Petroleum Bidding Round of 2026, giving the company full ownership of the offshore acreage in East Kalimantan.

The block lies in water depths of roughly 1,000 to 2,500 meters and is adjacent to acreage already held by Eni and its partners. It is also close to the North Hub developments, which contain the Geng North, Gehem, Gula and Geliga gas and condensate discoveries.

Those discoveries collectively contain more than 14 trillion cubic feet of gas in place and around 800 million barrels of condensate, according to Eni.

The location makes Sapukala strategically significant for Eni because any future discoveries could potentially benefit from infrastructure and development plans already advancing nearby.

Eni said the block is considered highly prospective following a joint study carried out with an Indonesian academic institution as part of the country’s regulatory process. The company has also recently completed a new seismic acquisition campaign that extends across Sapukala, which could allow it to move more quickly into detailed prospect evaluation.

The award further strengthens Eni’s long-standing position in Indonesia, where it has operated since 2001 and currently directly operates the Peri-Mahakam and Makassar Strait blocks.

Its regional strategy changed significantly in June 2026 with the creation of Searah, a 50-50 joint venture between Eni and Malaysia’s Petronas that combines assets across Indonesia and Malaysia.

Searah operates the future North Hub developments near Sapukala and holds a portfolio of 19 producing and development-stage gas assets—14 in Indonesia and five in Malaysia. The company currently produces about 350,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day and is targeting sustainable production of more than 500,000 boe/d by 2028.

The Sapukala award gives Eni additional exploration exposure around that expanding gas portfolio while reinforcing the Kutei Basin as one of the company’s principal growth areas in Southeast Asia.

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