Abu Dhabi-based international energy company Mubadala Energy has announced a significant gas discovery offshore Indonesia. 

The discovery was made at the Layaran-1 Exploration well, drilled in the South Andaman exploration block, some 100km off the coast of North Sumatra.

As the operator of the South Andaman Gross Split production-sharing contract, Mubadala Energy drilled the well to a depth of 4,208m in 1,207m-deep water.

Mubadala Energy noted that the exploration well encountered a substantial gas column more than 230m thick in an Oligocene sandstone reservoir. 

Layaran-1 marks the company's first deep-water well, with an estimated six trillion cubic feet of gas.

Comprehensive data acquisition including wireline logging, coring, sampling and a production test was performed, with the well successfully flowing more than 30 million standard cubic feet per day of high-quality gas.

The Middle Eastern oil and gas company holds an 80% working interest in the South Andaman project, making it the largest net acreage holder in the region. 

The discovery aligns with the company's strategy to focus on gas and is expected to de-risk multiple prospective gas resources, setting the stage for future growth and exploration drilling planned for 2024.

It follows the company's previous successes in the area, including the Timpan-1 well in Andaman-II and the Cengkih-1 in Malaysia's SK320. 

Mubadala Energy noted that these consecutive discoveries have added significant contingent volumes to its portfolio and will support the company's continued expansion in the region.

Mubadala Energy CEO Mansoor Mohamed Al Hamed said: “With our strategy to expand our gas portfolio to support the energy transition, this development offers material commercial opportunities and adds momentum to our strategic growth story. 

“This is not only a significant development for Mubadala Energy but a huge milestone for Indonesia’s and South East Asia’s energy security. We are proud to have achieved this by leveraging our world-class technical and operational capabilities.”

In May this year, reports emerged that Mubadala Energy parent Mubadala Investment Company was among those looking to acquire a stake in I Squared Capital’s natural gas distribution business in India.