PETALING JAYA: Petroliam Nasional Bhd (Petronas) and Petroleum Sarawak Bhd (Petros) will work together to advance both national and state interests, said Sarawak premier Abang Johari Openg.
However, Sarawak’s interests would take precedence throughout the collaboration between the two gas companies, he added.
Abang Johari said this was one of several items he had agreed upon with Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim who recently told the Dewan Rakyat that Petros would be the sole gas aggregator in Sarawak.
“Even though Petros takes the role of gas aggregator, existing contracts entered into by Petronas and its subsidiaries are not affected so as to enable Petronas to fulfil its domestic and international contractual obligations.
“But the performance of such existing contracts must not in any way adversely affect the role of Petros as gas aggregator and not be inconsistent with the provisions of the Distribution of Gas Ordinance (DGO) 2016,” he said in a statement today.
Key agreements also include mutual respect for federal and state laws, such as the Petroleum Development Act 1974 (PDA) and the DGO, alongside a request for offshore exploration to fulfil the gas volume guarantee outlined in the Sarawak Gas Roadmap.
Abang Johari also reaffirmed that Sarawak was committed to using gas sustainably to support industrial growth, energy needs in Peninsular Malaysia and clean energy production, aligning with the federal government’s goal of making Sarawak a clean energy hub.
“The Sarawak government, in the national interest, is firmly committed to ensuring that the guaranteed volume of gas as well as any additional gas produced offshore of western Sarawak and elsewhere in the continental shelf, will be used sustainably,” he said.
Yesterday, Anwar told the Dewan Rakyat that the federal and Sarawak governments had agreed to Petronas and its subsidiaries retaining all existing contractual obligations — domestic and international.
In clearing the air over the dispute on Sarawak’s right to exploit oil and gas reserves in and around the state, Anwar said the two governments also recognised the PDA as a federal law.
However, to fulfil the East Malaysian state’s aspirations in the oil and gas sector, it was agreed that the DGO would come into force on March 1.
