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SHELL is working closely with Petronas to look into the possibility of Carbon Capture Storage (CCS) in Malaysia.

“We will continue to collaborate to evaluate the technical and commercial viability of potential projects in the country.”

“The Sabah Government is an important stakeholder and valued partner for Shell Malaysia.

“We continue to engage them on topics of mutual interest and opportunity on a regular basis,” said Siti Hurrairah.

She said that oil and gas are identified as priority indigenous resources in Malaysia’s National Energy Policy - they play a fundamental role in safeguarding the country’s energy security, securing its socioeconomic prosperity, and providing the economic ability for the country to transition to a low-carbon energy system. 

Gas, in particular, is expected to play an important role in supporting the country’s expanding deployment of renewables. Adopting gas in place of coal for power generation, for example, represents a substantial decarbonisation opportunity for Malaysia, as coal is a significant source of fuel for power generation in the country.

“Shell Malaysia Upstream has been a partner to Malaysia’s progress for over a century and continues to deliver the energy the country needs today as well as contribute to shaping the country’s future energy system,” she said. 

“We are always looking to explore initiatives that meet the energy needs of the next generation.

“We are investing in exploration activities in offshore Sabah blocks and are optimistic about the results. Shell is also a non-operating partner in the Kebabangan (KBB) Gas field, alongside Petronas Carigali and Conoco Phillips, which supplies gas to both the domestic market and LNG clients’, she said. 

“We provide scholarships annually and continue to have Sabahan scholars enrolled,” she added of scholarships for Sabah students. 

“This is a comprehensive scheme in which we fund undergraduate courses for our scholars at prestigious UK universities. Shell Malaysia invests between RM10 million and RM11 million per year in our scholarship programmes. We constantly attempt to ensure that scholarships are offered evenly across Sabah, Sarawak, and West Malaysia applicants who match the declared criteria.

“In the last five years, we’ve had six Sabahan scholars. How much is spent is subjective because it varies based on educational level, whether they are doing A-levels or undergraduate studies, but we spend approximately RM1.5 million for each scholar throughout their studies,” she said.

She said Shell Malaysia promotes local talent development through a variety of channels, including but not limited to Internship Placements and both our Shell Scholarships and Resourcing Initiatives. 

Siti says Shell Malaysia has been actively supporting local community development since 2017.

“In terms of Shell Malaysia’s approach to resourcing, we actively seek to provide employment opportunities to both Experienced Professionals and Graduates (as part of the Shell Graduate Programme), including Sabahans,” she said. 

Aside from the foregoing, Shell Malaysia has been actively supporting local community development since 2017 through collaborations with education providers such as TAS Institute of Oil & Gas and Kolej Vokasional Likas via our SPOT and Projek LINK programmes, respectively.

“Through these community upskilling programmes, we currently have 36 students pursuing their Pearson BTEC International Level 3 Specialist Diploma in Oil & Gas facilities.”

“In addition, we assisted 76 students in graduating as technical welders (in accordance with worldwide welding standards established by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) and the American Welding Standard. 

“This is perfectly linked with the Shell Group’s Powering Lives ambitions, as Shell Malaysia actively seeks chances to contribute through best practice sharing, mentorship programmes, hiring opportunities, internship placement programmes, and funding,” she said. 

Shell Malaysia is happy to be an equal opportunity employer, she said, on how many Sabahans are employed in total. 

“Notwithstanding this, and in keeping with our diversity goals, we have always been mindful to ensure that we have adequate representation of the various local ethnic groups within our workforce in and across the locations we operate in, including our operations in Sabah.” 

“As proof of this, 60% of our workforce in Sabah is Sabahan.” “We also have Sabahans in positions outside the state, providing them with new experiences and opportunities for development,” she added. 

“At Shell, we spend about RM1 million for our social investment initiative across Sabah, Sarawak and Peninsular Malaysia, annually,” she said.

Among these are the Shell LiveWIRE and Shell NXplorers, to name a few. 

Shell LiveWIRE is the company’s premier enterprise development programme operating in Sabah since 2015. The programme helps to boost Malaysian local economies by encouraging and training entrepreneurs. This curriculum aims to motivate young entrepreneurs to innovate and create real-world business solutions that address today’s socioeconomic issues. 

The programme has taught over 500 Sabah entrepreneurs and assisted 40 entrepreneurs with company seed grants, coaching, and mentoring, in addition to disbursing grants totaling over RM375,000 to Sabah entrepreneurs (2015-2022).

Shell NXplorers is a cutting-edge educational course in Stem topics. It exposes young brains to complex and creative thinking abilities, preparing them to be good change agents. From 2018 to 2023, the Shell NXplorers ecosystem in Sabah included around 500 students and 85 teachers.

Then in 2017, Shell launched Access to Energy in Sabah, a programme aiming at giving communities without access to the electrical grid with an inexpensive and continuous supply of electricity from renewable sources.

To conclude, Shell Malaysia has not only maintained a significant presence in Sabah but has also continued to provide affordable energy, enabling improvements in socioeconomic activities and education, while also committing to uplift rural communities further while conserving the environment.