Petronas Discovers New Hydrocarbon Reserves Off East Java Coast
Petronas, through its subsidiary Petronas North Ketapang Sdn. Bhd., has successfully discovered its first hydrocarbon reserves in the Barokah-1 exploration well located in the North Ketapang Work Area, offshore East Java.
Petronas operates the work area with a 51% interest stake. Earthon North Ketapang Pte. Ltd. holds 34% participation interest, whilst PT. Pertamina Hulu Energi North Ketapang holds 15% participation interest.
Drilling of the Barokah-1 exploration well commenced on 30 November 2025 and reached a depth of approximately 3,315.3 metres true vertical depth subsea (TVDSS). Further studies will be conducted to comprehensively measure the potential of this discovery.
Petronas Vice President of Exploration Ahmad Faisal Bakar stated that the discovery further strengthens Petronas’s long-term presence in East Java. “The Barokah-1 discovery confirms the promising exploration potential in East Java, particularly across the four assets we operate in the northern waters off Madura Island. This result certainly deepens our understanding of the basin’s prospectivity and reinforces Petronas’s commitment to driving focused growth and maturing opportunities that can contribute to a sustainable energy landscape in East Java,” he explained.
The achievement also complements the momentum of Hidayah field development currently underway in the North Madura II work area, which reached final investment approval in October 2024, following an oil discovery in 2021.
Yuzaini Md Yusof, President Director of Petronas North Ketapang Sdn. Bhd., expressed appreciation for stakeholder support during exploration activities. “We extend our gratitude to the Indonesian Government and our partners for the collaboration that has enabled the success of this drilling programme, in line with our efforts to drive responsible upstream oil and gas growth to support Indonesia’s energy sector,” he said.
SKK Migas Head Djoko Siswanto also welcomed the discovery positively. “The hydrocarbon discovery at Barokah-1 is encouraging news for the upstream oil and gas industry and provides important evidence that oil and gas potential in the East Java region remains highly promising. SKK Migas welcomes this achievement and will continue to support Petronas’s steps in the next evaluation phase so that this potential can soon be brought into production to increase oil and gas lifting and support achieving national energy security,” he said.
In addition to the North Ketapang work area contract, Petronas also operates the Ketapang, North Madura II, and Serpang production sharing contracts offshore East Java, as well as the Bobara work area offshore West Papua, and serves as partner for six other production sharing contracts distributed across onshore and offshore Sumatra, Natuna Sea, East Java, and Eastern Indonesia. Through active participation in IPA Convex, Petronas Indonesia continues to demonstrate its commitment to supporting national energy development.