He said they were expected to boost the state’s revenue.

He said Petronas had informed him of the discovery of at least two locations with a high possibility of gas reserves.

“Yes, they informed me yesterday and said that they will make an official announcement soon,” he told reporters today.

He said Sarawak had certain rights over its oil and gas reserves under the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63).

The commercial settlement agreement also allows Sarawak to actively be involved in its oil and gas activities through Petroleum Sarawak Bhd (Petros).

“Hence, we are expecting to generate more revenue from the new discoveries. These funds will be channelled into rural development and other initiatives to benefit the people of Sarawak.”

In February, Petronas had announced the discovery of two new gas fields off the coast of Sarawak, in the Central Luconia Province and in the shallow waters of Baram Province.

Speaking at the ground-breaking ceremony for the Batang Lupar bridge, which costs RM848 million, Abang Johari said the 4.8km bridge was expected to be completed within 48 months.

It will be the longest bridge over a river in Malaysia.

“Actually, the federal government under former prime minister Najib Razak had agreed to finance 50% of the construction cost.

“However, this allocation was cancelled after Pakatan Harapan took over Putrajaya. So, it is now fully-funded by the Sarawak government.

“Hence, I hope this (cancellation of allocation) has taught everyone a lesson. We shouldn’t easily fall for sweet words or empty promises – especially when the election is near.”

The new bridge will replace the current Triso ferry service, which claimed nine lives, including a four-month-old baby, when a 4WD vehicle they were in went out of control and plunged into the river at the ferry point on Jan 1.