Drilling campaign bears fruit as six new oil & gas discoveries pop up off Malaysia

Petronas Carigali (PCSB), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Malaysia’s state-owned energy giant Petronas, has undertaken a drilling campaign, which unveiled multiple new oil and gas discoveries in five blocks off the coast of Sarawak, Malaysia.

According to Petronas, new and existing oil fields led to hydrocarbon discoveries in six wells – the Gedombak well in Block SK306 and the Mirdanga well in Block SK411 (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) –  which exhibit low levels of contaminants.

Datuk Adif Zulkifli, Petronas’ Executive Vice President and CEO of Upstream, remarked: “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. We hope these will provide the impetus for more companies  to participate and invest in Malaysia’s Upstream sector, especially in the exploration front.”

The Malaysian energy player explains that these discoveries were achieved on the back of an intensive domestic exploration drilling campaign, which started in late 2022 and also led to the discovery of Nahara-1 in Block SK306, a significant oil discovery by Petronas Carigali within the last decade. The latest batch of discoveries is also attributed to Petronas Carigali’s ‘clustered exploration’ approach, a style of prospecting suited for highly matured geological provinces.

Mohd Redhani Abdul Rahman, Petronas’ Vice President of Exploration, commented: “These discoveries are the result of our exploration teams’ willingness to challenge norms and defy long-standing dogmas. We are highly encouraged by our early success and will continue enhancing our efforts.”

Furthermore, the Malaysian player highlights its determination to replicate the success of this approach in its other exploration ventures in Malaysia. With a keen focus on ensuring energy security while supporting the energy transition, Petronas aims to leverage its expertise and techniques to continue driving growth and innovation.

Petronas is embarking on the search for more hydrocarbons outside Malaysia as well. To this end, the firm booked one of Noble Corporation’s rigs at the start of July 2023 for drilling activities offshore Suriname.