Petronas Carigali (PCSB), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Malaysia’s state-owned energy conglomerate Petronas, has launched a drilling programme that has yielded numerous fresh oil and gas discoveries in five blocks off the coast of Sarawak, Malaysia.
The Gedombak well in Block SK306 and the Mirdanga well in Block SK411 (both in the Balingian province), the Sinsing well in Block SK313, the Machinchang and Pangkin wells in Block SK301B, and the Kalung Emas well in Block SK315 (in the West Luconia province) are six wells that Petronas claims have hydrocarbon discoveries that have low levels of contaminants.
“This string of successful discoveries clearly shows the still untapped exploration potential of Malaysia’s basins, waiting to be discovered by companies who are willing to adopt new and innovative ways,” said Datuk Adif Zulkifli, Executive Vice President and CEO of Upstream at Petronas. We hope that this would encourage more businesses to take part and invest in Malaysia’s upstream industry, particularly in the exploration area.
According to the Malaysian energy company, these finds were made possible by a vigorous domestic exploration drilling effort that began in late 2022 and resulted in the finding of Nahara-1 in Block SK306, a substantial oil discovery by Petronas Carigali during the previous ten years. The most recent discoveries are also credited to Petronas Carigali’s ‘clustered exploration’ strategy, a kind of prospecting ideal for geological provinces that have reached advanced stages of development.
Vice President of Exploration at Petronas, Mohd Redhani Abdul Rahman, said: “These discoveries are the consequence of our exploration teams’ resolve to defy accepted wisdom and standards. Our early achievement has greatly encouraged us, and we will keep improving our efforts.
The Malaysian player also emphasises its resolve to apply this strategy with similar success in its other exploratory projects in Malaysia. Petronas wants to use its knowledge and tools to continue promoting growth and innovation with a clear focus on guaranteeing energy security while assisting the energy transition.
Additionally, Petronas is starting its search for additional hydrocarbons outside of Malaysia. In order to accomplish this, the company reserved a rig from Noble Corporation at the beginning of July 2023 for drilling operations off the coast of Suriname.
Info source – Offshore Energy