Seeing Beyond the Seismic: Integrated Facies and Reservoir Prediction in an Undrilled Prospect, Eastern Jabung, Indonesia

The Ketemu Prospect is situated in the underexplored eastern area of the Jabung Block within the South Sumatra Basin, Indonesia. Following the 2022 extension of PetroChina Indonesia’s Production Sharing Contract after 30 years of operation, exploration efforts have shifted from the mature, data-rich western area (dominated by production from the Northeast Betara field), toward the less-developed and geologically complex eastern region.

Unlike the western segment, where extensive well control and 2D/3D seismic coverage underpinned decades of success, the eastern Jabung area poses substantial exploration challenges. These include limited geological and geophysical (G&G) datasets, rapid lateral facies changes, thin and shaly reservoir intervals, and variable CO2 concentrations. These factors complicate reservoir prediction and petroleum system evaluation, demanding a more advanced and integrative approach.

To address these complexities, this study leverages a newly acquired 121 km² 3D PSTM seismic dataset in combination with regional well data to conduct a comprehensive, multi-disciplinary reservoir characterization. The integrated G&G workflow aims to improve structural imaging, predict facies distribution, and evaluate reservoir quality in an area with no direct well penetration. Seismic attribute extraction, gamma-ray volume prediction, stratigraphic correlation, petrophysical interpretation, and core calibration are combined to reduce uncertainty and enhance geological understanding at multiple scales.