MIRI – Sarawak will be exploring for petroleum, dubbed the black gold, on land along the Miri-Marudi districts in northern Sarawak.
The state government, via Petroleum Sarawak Bhd (Petros) awarded a contract to explore and mine the oil to PETRA Energy Development Sdn Bhd, today.
“Petros has awarded a contract to PETRA Energy to operate exploration and mining at Block SK433 along Miri to Marudi.
“PETRA Energy will handle this project with its joint venture partner Uzma Engineering Sdn Bhd.
“This signifies a milestone in the move by the state government to exercise control of oil exploration and mining on land in Sarawak,” the Chief Minister’s Office said in a statement.
Petros will play the role of resource regulator and manager in the onshore project, adding that PETRA Energy won the tender via competitive bidding.
The project will be in two phases, with exploration and appraisal in the first phase and site development and production in the second phase.
Miri is the first on-land oil production centre in Sarawak, with exploration starting in the early 1900s.
On-land production stopped when oil and gas were found offshore in vast quantities in the 1960s. – The Vibes, June 18, 2021