Petronas Discovers Hydrocarbon Reserves in Ketapang Gas Block
Malaysian energy company Petronas has discovered hydrocarbon reserves in the Barokah-1 exploration well located in the North Ketapang Working Area, offshore East Java. The discovery adds to the growing list of promising gas and oil resources in the region.
Ahmad Faisal Bakar, Vice President of Exploration at Petronas, stated that the Barokah-1 discovery confirms the gas and oil exploration potential in East Java, particularly in the northern region of Madura Island, which is the focus of the company’s operations.
Ahmad said the exploration results would help the company deepen its understanding of the potential of the gas basin in the region whilst strengthening Petronas’ commitment to continue developing sustainable energy opportunities in East Java.
“These results naturally deepen our understanding of the basin’s prospectivity and reinforce Petronas’ commitment to driving targeted growth and maturing opportunities that can contribute to a sustainable energy landscape in East Java,” Ahmad said in a written statement on Thursday, 12 March 2026.
The Barokah-1 exploration well was drilled by Petronas’ subsidiary, Petronas North Ketapang Sdn. Bhd. Drilling operations commenced on 30 November 2025 and reached a depth of approximately 3,315.3 metres TVDSS (true vertical depth subsea).
In this project, Petronas acts as operator with a 51 percent participating interest. Earthon North Ketapang Pte. Ltd. holds 34 percent participation, whilst PT Pertamina Hulu Energi North Ketapang holds 15 percent.
To determine reserve size and production potential, the company will continue technical studies and further evaluation of the drilling results.
SKK Migas Head Djoko Siswanto welcomed the hydrocarbon discovery at the Barokah-1 well. According to Djoko, the discovery demonstrates that gas and oil potential in East Java remains wide open for development.
He added that SKK Migas would continue to support the further evaluation process so that the discovery’s potential could soon move to the production stage and contribute to increasing national oil and gas lifting and strengthening Indonesia’s energy security.
Djoko further noted that the discovery comes amid development of the Hidayah Field in the North Madura II Working Area, which reached final investment decision in October 2024. The field was previously discovered in 2021 and is now being prepared for the development phase.
Beyond operating the North Ketapang Working Area, Petronas also operates several other offshore East Java working areas, including Ketapang, North Madura II, and Serpang. The company also manages the Bobara Working Area offshore West Papua and is a partner in several other production sharing contracts distributed across Sumatra, the Natuna Sea, East Java, and Eastern Indonesia.