Jakarta (VNA) - Indonesia has commenced the construction of the Makassar Strait North Hub, a 15 billion USD national strategic project aimed at unlocking ultra-deepwater natural gas reserves and driving economic growth, according to the Indonesian news agency Antara.
Operated by Searah, a joint venture between Italian energy giant Eni SpA and Malaysia’s Petronas, the project integrates the offshore Geng North and Gehem gas fields in the Kutai Basin off East Kalimantan.
Total investment for the project consisting of 3 billion USD for Floating Production, Storage, and Offloading (FPSO) facility construction and 12 billion USD in additional capital expenditure.
The FPSO unit, named Bahtera Haluan Lestari, is designed to process up to 1 billion standard cubic feet of gas per day (BSCFD) and 80,000 barrels of condensate per day, featuring a storage capacity of 1.4 million barrels.
Operating at sea depths of up to 2,000m, the 300m-long vessel marks Indonesia's first ultra-deepwater production facility. First gas output is targeted for the fourth quarter of 2028./.
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