Mubadala announces second big gas discovery in Indonesia

Mubadala Energy, the international energy company headquartered in Abu Dhabi and the operator of the South Andaman Gross Split, announced another substantial gas discovery from the Tangkulo-1 Exploration well, drilled in South Andaman, about 65 kilometres offshore North Sumatra, Indonesia.

The discovery marks the second deep water well operated by the company. Tangkulo-1 was drilled to a depth of 3,400 meters in 1,200 meters of water depth, just a few months after the major discovery at the Layaran-1 well, also in South Andaman.

The Tangkulo-1 well encountered 80 meters of gas column in a good quality Oligocene sandstone reservoir confirmed through an extensive data gathering campaign that includes obtaining a full core of 72 meters, wireline logging, sidewall core, pressure and fluid sampling.

Utilising a new Drill Stem Test (DST) design, the well successfully flowed 47 mmscf/d of excellent gas quality and 1,300 barrels of condensate. Although testing was constrained by testing facilities, the estimated well capacity is 80-100mmscf/d and over 2,000 barrels of condensate.

Mansoor Mohammed Al Hamed, CEO, Mubadala Energy, commented, “When added to our recent success at Layaran-1, this game-changing discovery promises to transform Indonesia’s and Southeast Asia’s energy landscape and demonstrates that South Andaman is one of the world’s most exciting energy plays.

By working with partners and harnessing our world-class technical capabilities, I am confident we can realise the full potential of this block, in line with our commitment to support the government’s ambitious development timeframes. This news also strengthens our ability to play a proactive role in the energy transition through our gas-biased strategy.”

With an 80% working interest in South Andaman, Mubadala Energy is the largest net acreage holder in the area. In line with company’s gas-biased strategy, Tangkulo-1 is an important pillar in the cluster’s development story, with the discovery unlocking further potential in the southern part of the block and indicating an additional multi-TCF of prospective gas resource in nearby structures.

Together with Layaran-1, this discovery adds material contingent volume and provides a platform for Mubadala Energy’s continued organic growth in the region through additional exploration and appraisal activities.

In December 2023, Mubadala Energy, the international energy company headquartered in Abu Dhabi, announced a significant gas discovery from the Layaran-1 Exploration well, drilled in South Andaman, about 100 kilometres offshore North Sumatra, Indonesia.

Mubadala Energy is the operator of the South Andaman Gross Split PSC and this is the first deep water well operated by the company, drilled to a depth of 4,208 meters in 1,207 meters water depth.

The well encountered an extensive gas column with a thickness of over 230 meters in an Oligocene sandstone reservoir. A complete data acquisition including wireline, coring, sampling and production test (DST) were conducted. The well successfully flowed over 30mmscf/d of excellent gas quality.

With an 80% working interest in South Andaman, Mubadala Energy is the largest net acreage holder in the area. In line with company’s gas-biased strategy, the positive outcome from the Layaran-1 discovery will de-risk multi-TCF of prospective gas resources in the area, providing the foundation for future organic growth and additional exploration drilling activities in 2024.

Commenting on this major strategic development, Mansoor Mohamed Al Hamed, CEO, Mubadala Energy, said: “With our strategy to expand our gas portfolio to support the energy transition, this development offers material commercial opportunities and adds momentum to our strategic growth story. This is not only a significant development for Mubadala Energy but a huge milestone for Indonesia’s and Southeast Asia’s energy security. We are proud to have achieved this by leveraging our world class technical and operational capabilities.”

This new confirmed discovery is the second consecutive successful well for Mubadala Energy in the Andaman area, coming after the success of Timpan-1 in Andaman-II, which itself came after success at Cengkih-1 in our SK320 in Malaysia. These discoveries add material contingent volume and provide a platform for continued growth for Mubadala Energy in the region.

Mubadala Energy is an international energy company, headquartered in Abu Dhabi. With a diversified portfolio of operated and non-operated assets spanning 11 countries, its primary geographic focus is in the Middle East and North Africa, Russia and Southeast Asia.

Mubadala Energy is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Mubadala Investment Company, which is owned by the Government of Abu Dhabi. The company’s portfolio is around 66 per cent gas, with a working interest production in 2022 of approximately 500,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day.