Malaysian oil and gas company Petronas Carigali said Monday it had made six oil and gas discoveries in five blocks offshore Sarawak, Malaysia.
Petronas said that the discoveries were achieved on the back of an intensive domestic exploration drilling campaign started in late 2022 that had also led to the discovery that year of Nahara-1 in Block SK306, a significant oil discovery by PETRONAS Carigali within the last decade.
"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), stem from new and existing group of oil fields and exhibit low levels of contaminants," Petronas said.
PETRONAS Executive Vice President and CEO of Upstream, Adif Zulkifli said, “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,” he added.
Petronas attributed the exploration success to its "innovative clustered exploration" approach. It described the approach as "a unique style of prospecting suited for highly matured geological provinces."
PETRONAS Vice President of Exploration, Mohd Redhani Abdul Rahman said, “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."
Looking ahead, Petronas said it was determined to replicate the success of this approach in its other exploration ventures in Malaysia.