In March, Petronas had announced a new oil and gas discovery in the Sirung-1 wildcat exploration well in Block SK405B, also in the Balingian Province.

The new Kulintang-1 well was successfully drilled to a total depth of 2,238m in April. The well encountered gas in the Oligocene to Middle Miocene sandstone reservoirs, which had not been fully evaluated before, Petronas said in a statement here today.

PTTEP HK Offshore Ltd is the operator for Block SK438 with 80% participating interest, while Petronas Carigali Sdn Bhd holds the remaining 20%. The block’s production sharing contract (PSC) was awarded in March 2018 following the Malaysia Bid Round (MBR) 2017.

“The success of Kulintang-1 well marks the second gas discovery within the Balingian Province this year. This encouraging result proves further potential of sweet gas in the province, especially in the deeper Oligocene play,” Petronas senior vice-president of Malaysia petroleum management Mohamed Firouz Asnan said.

“The Kulintang sweet gas discovery can be monetised through existing infrastructure towards fulfilling the demand of the domestic gas customers, as well as Petronas LNG Complex in Bintulu, Sarawak,” he added.

In the ongoing MBR 2021, Petronas is offering opportunities in 13 new offshore exploration blocks in Malaysia’s prolific basins, including a few blocks within Balingian. MBR 2021 also offers enhanced fiscal and non-fiscal terms as part of Petronas’ continuous efforts to grow with its partners in Malaysia.