Japan-based oil and gas exploration and production company Inpex is seeking approval from the Indonesian authorities to triple production capacity from the Abadi gas field in the Masela Block, Arafura Sea, Indonesia.

FLNG

The company has submitted a revised development plan of the Abadi LNG project to the Indonesian Special Task Force for Upstream Oil and Gas Business Activities (SKK Migas), following discovery of additional natural gas reserves.

Inpex, through its subsidiary INPEX Masela, operates the Abadi gas field with 65% stake while the remaining interest is held by Shell.

The revised plan calls for the development of the filed using floating liquefied natural gas (FLNG) plant with capacity of 7.5 million tons per year while the initial development plan envisaged a capacity of 2.5 million tons per year.

Inpex secured approval for the initial development plan from the Indonesian Government in 2010, following which it carried out front end engineering and design (FEED) works for subsea, umbilical, riser and flowline (SURF) and the FLNG plant based on POD-1, between 2012 and 2014.

Inpex determined the presence of additional gas reserves in the field following evaluations of three appraisal wells which were drilled between June 2013 and April 2014.

Located about 150km offshore Saumlaki in Maluku Province is water depths of 400-800m, the block is spread over a area of about 3,221km2.

Inpex estimates that the field contains enough reserve to support production of 24,000 barrels of condensate per day, apart from 7.5 million tons of LNG per year, for more than 20 years.

In June, Indonesian state-owned oil and natural gas company Pertamina was considering buying a stake in the Abadi (FLNG) project, reported Reuters.

Inpex is also seeking a 20-year extension of license to operate the Masela Block until 2048, which is scheduled to expire in 2028.


Image: Abadi gas field is located in the Masela Block, Arafura Sea, Indonesia. Photo: courtesy of Inpex Corporation.