KUALA LUMPUR (July 9): Malaysia’s national oil and gas company Petroliam Nasional Bhd, or Petronas, said on Tuesday the Jerun field in Block SK408 had recently achieved its first gas production.

Sapura OMV Upstream (Sarawak) Inc operates the block off the coast of Sarawak with a 40% stake, while the remaining 60% is equally shared by Petronas and Shell, Petronas said in a statement. The Jerun field could produce up to 550 million standard cubic feet per day, it said.

“Adding to the country’s energy portfolio, this project promises significant contributions towards sustaining Malaysia’s long-term gas supply,” said Datuk Bacho Pilong, Petronas’ senior vice-president of Malaysia Petroleum Management, the governing body that manages the country’s petroleum resources.

The Jerun field was first discovered in 2015 by Sapura OMV, following the drilling of nine exploration wells from 2014 to 2015. Along with Bakong, Teja, Gorek, Legundi and Larak fields, the SK408 block located 160km offshore Sarawak contains over three trillion standard cubic feet of gas in place.

The Jerun platform, comprising a topside weighing about 15,000 tonnes and a 11,200-tonne jacket, is also designed to produce 15,000 barrels of condensate per day during peak production.

The gas will be channeled through a new 80 kilometres pipeline into the E11RB production hub for onward delivery to LNG terminal in Bintulu.

“The unwavering support and cooperation from the Sarawak government and local authorities have been instrumental in the success of this project,” Bacho added.