Italy-based Eni S.p.A. announced Dec. 17 it had received approval from Indonesian regulators and its board of directors to begin work on its Merakes natural gas project offshore East Kalimantan in Indonesia.

The project involves drilling and constructing wells 1,500 meters below the sea surface with a dedicated transportation system to the Jangkrik floating production unit 35 kilometers to the northeast.

Eni will ship the project's natural gas production to the PT Badak NGL-owned Bontang LNG plant in East Kalimantan using existing infrastructure.

Eni's production activities in Indonesia, which are concentrated in the Jangkrik field, deliver in excess of 650 million standard cubic feet per day of natural gas.