Indonesia has launched its 2026 Indonesia Petroleum Bidding Round I on May 20, 2026, offering 13 oil and gas blocks with significant hydrocarbon potential across the archipelago.
Two blocks are being offered under the direct offer scheme:
* Natuna D-Alpha Block, offshore Natuna, with estimated resources of 2.8 billion barrels of oil in place.
* Sapukala Block, offshore Makassar Strait, with estimated resources of 2.3 trillion standard cubic feet (TSCF) of gas in place.
Meanwhile, 11 blocks are available through the regular tender scheme:
* Rupat Block, spanning offshore and onshore Riau and offshore North Sumatra, with estimated resources of 1.11 billion barrels of oil in place.
* Puri Block, onshore Riau, with estimated resources of 1.11 billion barrels of oil in place.
* Pesut Mahakam Block, onshore East Kalimantan, with estimated resources of 1.336 billion barrels of oil (MMBO).
* Bengara II Block, onshore and offshore North Kalimantan, with estimated resources of 1.057 billion barrels of oil.
* Maratua II Block, onshore and offshore North Kalimantan, with estimated resources of 3.279 billion barrels of oil.
* Namori Block, offshore East Nusa Tenggara (NTT), with an enormous estimated potential of 17 billion barrels of oil or 38 TSCF of gas in place.
* South Tanimbar Block, offshore Arafura Sea, with estimated gas resources of 5.6 TCF.
* Cerera Block, offshore Papua, with estimated resources of 1.5 billion barrels of oil and 1.3 TCF of gas in place.
* Areca Bruni Block, offshore and onshore Northwest Papua, with estimated resources of 3 billion barrels of oil in place.
* Rombebai Block, offshore and onshore Papua, with estimated resources of 15 TCF of gas in place.
* Jayapura Block, onshore Papua, with estimated resources of 19.4 TCF of gas in place.
At the same time, the Indonesian government also announced the winners of three blocks offered in the previous bidding round:
* Akimeugah II Block — awarded to PT Dongfang Exploration Oil Indonesia.
* Arwana III Block — awarded to PT Prime Natuna Eksploitasi dan Produksi.
* Tuah Tanah Block — awarded to PT Guna Tesuma Internasional.
This latest petroleum bidding round comes as Indonesia marks 157 years of oil and gas exploration and production, a history that began in 1869.
This article is posted by Jamin Djuang – Chief Learning Officer of LDI Training.
