Indonesia is offering 13 oil and gas blocks in the first bidding round of 2026, with total estimated resources of 16 billion barrels oil and 81.85 trillion cubic feet of gas, senior energy ministry official Laode Sulaeman said on Wednesday.
There are two working areas: Natuna D-Alpha block, with estimated resources of 2.86 billion barrels of oil, and Sapukala block, with estimated resources of 2.3 billion barrels of oil, offered under a direct offer tender scheme.
Another 11 oil and gas blocks were offered under regular tenders, including the Namori working area in offshore East Nusa Tenggara, with estimated resources of 17.47 billion barrels of oil or 38.5 trillion cubic feet (tcf) of gas.
The government also offered the Rombebai and Jayapura working areas in onshore and offshore Papua with estimated resources of 14.75 tcf and 19.4 tcf of gas respectively.
The bidding round starts on May 20. The direct offer will end by July 6. Some regular tenders will end by July 20, and some by September 17.
Indonesia also awarded four oil and gas blocks on Wednesday, including the Akimeugah II working area in South Papua and Papua Mountains provinces, which has estimated resources of 15 billion barrels of oil, to Dongfang Exploration Oil Indonesia.
Indonesia's oil and gas production has been declining in the past decade due to depleting reserves, and the government has pledged to offer dozens of new blocks in coming years to reverse the trend.
Indonesia's energy minister said the country has 118 potential areas for new oil and gas blocks.
(Reporting by Bernadette Christina. Editing by Mark Potter)
