Unveiling Synergy: SPE ITS SC’s Integrated Welcome Party and Oil & Gas 101

Enhancing the knowledge of SPE’s Board of Committee about materials used in the oil and gas industry, Company Visit Division SPE ITS SC conducted Inspect 3.0. The event was held in Pertamina Hulu Energi West Madura Offshore (PHE WMO) Lamongan Shorebase and involved a site visit, presentation, and discussion about the industry.Inspect 3.0 that has been conducted on 14th April is a series of company visit events and in this stewardship, visiting PHE WMO became the third company visit that has been conducted. PHE WMO is a subsidiary of PT Pertamina Hulu Energi (PHE), a subsidiary of PT Pertamina (Persero). PHE WMO primary focus is on exploration and production, but it also has a logistics base in Lamongan, which is crucial for the success of its operations. The PIC of the event Abdulah Abraham Abror explained, company visit this time provided an opportunity for the students to see and visit the shorebase/warehouse under oil and gas-based companies related to the core values of SPE ITS SC. “Through the visit and discussion with the company representative, the students gained insights into the oil and gas industry and how the company worked,” Abror added.More specifically, Abror said this event aims to provide knowledge about the materials used in the oil and gas industry, understand material management and handling processes, as well as introduce students to professions observed in the operating environment. “The event also discussed the end-to-end process of delivery material, including material management and how to handle it safely,” Abror explained.According to Abror, the event started with a safety induction by PHE WMO, followed by an introduction from SPE ITS SC. The opening was then given by PHE WMO, which provided an overview of the company and their role in the shorebase/warehouse. Representative from PHE WMO explained, shorebase management makes remote oil and gas operations more easily managed logistically from nearby ports. Furthermore, the role of shorebase as a support for offshore activities can take the form of a port, warehouse, field, or office.  In upstream oil and gas activities, starting from exploration, production, transportation to the refinery, and selling of oil or gas, shorebase is needed. Equipment such as casing and tubing require a long time to order, so supply chain management planning is needed.  After the introduction, the event proceeded to the site visit. The site visit involved observing the drilling equipment, such as drill bits, various sizes of drill pipes, christmas tree, and other equipments required for drilling process. A discussion of oil and gas from both parties was conducted to exchange knowledge and ideas. “During the visit, the students had the opportunity to ask questions and discuss with the representatives,” Abror added.Quoting one of the participants in the event, said Inspect 3.0 has been a great learning opportunity for me. He has gained valuable knowledge about the oil and gas industry, especially the materials and equipment used in the drilling process. "The visit to the Lamongan Shorebase has given me a real-life experience that cannot be gained through theory alone," he said.The event was successful in achieving its objectives, and the participants gained valuable insights into the oil and gas industry. The event was an excellent opportunity for the students to enhance their knowledge, and it was hoped that it would help them to become more competent professionals in the industry. “This event is expected to strengthen the relationship between SPE ITS SC and the oil and gas companies, including PHE WMO,” Abror concluded. By: Tyara Novia

Indonesia recorded a significant upstream milestone after Eni announced a giant gas discovery at the Geliga-1 exploration well in the Ganal Block, offshore East Kalimantan. The find holds an estimated 5 trillion cubic feet (Tcf) of gas and around 300 million barrels of condensate, making it one of the more consequential discoveries in the region in recent years.The well was drilled to roughly 5,100 meters in water depths of about 2,000 meters, approximately 70 kilometers from shore. Drilling encountered a substantial gas column within Miocene formations with strong petrophysical properties, a result that speaks to the quality of the reservoir even under technically demanding conditions.Geliga-1 is the latest in a string of exploration successes Eni has logged in the Kutei Basin, following Geng North in 2023 and Konta-1 in 2025. Taken together, these findings steadily reinforce the basin's standing as one of Indonesia's most promising gas provinces, with resource potential that scales across multiple structures.On the development side, Eni has already taken Final Investment Decisions (FID) for the South Hub and North Hub projects, both expected to come online around 2028. At full capacity, the two hubs are projected to produce up to 2 billion cubic feet per day (Bcfd) of gas alongside 90,000 barrels of condensate per day. The development will rely on subsea systems and FPSO infrastructure, tied into existing facilities at the Bontang LNG plant.The location of Geliga-1 also draws attention to the nearby Gula discovery, estimated at around 2 Tcf. Early assessments suggest that combining resources from both fields could add roughly 1 Bcfd of gas output and support the formation of a third production hub in the basin, sharing infrastructure and cutting time to market.To close the loop on the downstream side, Eni is looking at options to expand liquefaction capacity at Bontang. The rationale is straightforward: leverage what is already there, keep capital spending in check, and extend the working life of one of Indonesia's principal LNG export facilities.The Ganal Block is operated by Eni with an 82% interest, with Sinopec holding the remaining 18%. The block will eventually fold into a broader joint venture with Petronas, anchoring Eni's position in Southeast Asia's gas market over the longer term.Drilling is expected to continue through 2026 and 2027. If results hold, Geliga looks set to become a meaningful contributor to Indonesia's gas reserve base while reaffirming the Kutei Basin's role in both domestic supply and international LNG trade.Writer: Timothy Evan

In 2026, the oil and gas industry’s AI revolution is no longer a forecast, it is an operational reality. The world’s largest energy companies have moved past experimentation, embedding AI into drill floors, control rooms, and thousands of kilometers of pipeline. The results are tangible: fewer equipment failures, lower costs, faster drilling cycles, and tighter emissions control.ExxonMobil was the first in the industry to deploy AI-driven closed-loop drilling automation in a deepwater setting, operating in Guyana where AI systems adjust drilling parameters in real time without human input. In the Permian Basin, machine learning has lifted shale well output by more than 5% and cut data preparation time by roughly 40%.BP has wired over two million sensors across assets in the Gulf of Mexico, the North Sea, and Oman, feeding data into digital twins and its in-house AURA system that simultaneously tracks operational inefficiencies and monitors carbon and methane emissions. The company reports drilling more wells annually as a direct result. Chevron, meanwhile, deploys AI-enabled drones over its Permian operations to detect methane leaks and equipment failures without putting personnel in hazardous zones. Shell applies machine learning to forecast equipment failures before they occur, while Saudi Aramco uses computer vision to monitor thousands of kilometers of pipelines for anomalies.The financial case is well-documented. Boston Consulting Group reports AI has cut operating costs by 15–20% and reduced key cycle times from months to weeks. McKinsey estimates predictive analytics alone lowers maintenance costs by up to 25%. At the field level, AI systems have prevented over 140 hours of unplanned downtime, protecting 1.6% of production uptime figures that translate directly into revenue.The global AI in oil and gas market was valued at USD 7.6 billion in 2025 and is projected to surpass USD 25 billion by 2034, growing at 14.2% annually. Upstream operations account for over half of all AI deployment, driven by the data-intensive nature of exploration and production. North America leads adoption, while Asia-Pacific is forecast as the fastest-growing region through 2031.The companies advancing fastest are not doing so simply to cut costs. They are responding to growing complexity: volatile markets, tightening emissions rules, aging infrastructure, and the sheer volume of real-time data across global assets. Managing all of that with human judgment alone has become impractical. In 2026, AI is not the future of oil and gas. It is the present. Writer: Akhirian Taka

Kangean Energy Indonesia (KEI) is set to begin a large-scale 3D seismic survey in the Kangean Islands, East Java, after fulfilling all required permitting procedures, including environmental and social compliance assessments. The confirmation was issued by the Jawa-Bali-Nusa Tenggara (Jabanusa) Regional Office of the Special Task Force for Upstream Oil and Gas, SKK Migas, marking the survey as one of the key upstream exploration efforts in the region. Anggono Mahendrawan, Head of SKK Migas Jabanusa, stated that seismic acquisition plays a crucial role in determining the direction of Indonesia’s oil and gas exploration activities. According to him, subsurface geological data generated from seismic imaging is essential not only for contractors but also for the government in preparing long-term resource planning. “This seismic survey is actually a national necessity. We need geological layer data to support exploration activities and secure future energy resources,” Anggono said during a discussion with ruangenergi.com in Jakarta on Monday, 3 November 2025. The survey will produce highly detailed information regarding the structure, depth, and lithology of underground rock formations. SKK Migas emphasized that such data is a critical determinant in assessing hydrocarbon potential in a given area and will be incorporated into the national upstream exploration database. The data will serve as the technical basis for decision-making on subsequent drilling plans, investment prioritization, and future working area allocations. Anggono acknowledged that upstream exploration remains a high-risk investment for contractors due to the uncertainty of commercial discoveries. However, he underlined that seismic datasets retain long-term value for the country regardless of discovery outcomes. “If no reserves are found, the cost won’t be recovered, but the data will still be beneficial for future energy development,” he noted, referring to the seismic data retention system that supports the national exploration master plan. SKK Migas also highlighted that the 3D seismic activity by KEI requires substantial investment and has undergone rigorous environmental and social impact verification. The agency stressed that adherence to regulatory and community safeguards is a prerequisite for the sustainability of upstream operations, especially in offshore and remote island clusters such as the Kangean region. Beyond its technical purpose, the survey is aligned with SKK Migas’ broader strategy to increase exploration intensity across frontier and underexplored basins in support of the national one-million-barrels-per-day oil production target. Strengthening the national subsurface data inventory is considered crucial to attracting upstream investors, reducing geological uncertainty, and enhancing resilience in domestic energy supply. Further updates on survey progress, including data acquisition scope, timeline for processing and interpretation, and follow-up drilling plans are expected to be announced after the initial operational phase in the coming months. Writer: Azzahra Luna Prasetyo