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Petronas asked to get licence from state govt to extract gas

Rintos Mail, reporters@theborneopost.com

April 14, 2018, Saturday

KUCHING: Petronas has been asked to apply for licence from the state government of Sarawak to extract gas from the SK408 block comprising the Gorek, Larak, and Bakong gas fields.
Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg said there was nothing the state could do now as the parties involved in the development of the block had signed a contract among themselves before he found out about the state’s rights on oil mining.
“Now, what Petronas needs to do is to get licence from us. I have given the letter officially to Petronas to inform them that they have to comply with our oil mining ordinance.
“I just want to regularise it because we want people to invest. If they invest in oil and gas in Sarawak, we allow them but they must comply with our laws,” he told a press conference here yesterday.
Abang Johari said it was not Petronas’ fault, adding that it was Sarawak which did not see that before and only now the state realised that it has the right over oil mining within its territorial seas.
“So when we see that we have got that right, then we have to tell them that they need to get licence from us.
“It’s not entirely their fault.  It is also our fault because we might have overlooked it. Luckily, I found out we have that right in print,” he said.
     The Chief Minister said this when asked to comment on a report that Sapura Energy would develop SK408 block comprising the Gorek, Larak, and Bakong gas fields together with its partners Petronas Carigali Sdn Bhd and Sarawak Shell Bhd.
Bernama reported on April 11 that Sapura Energy had taken the final investment decision (FID) to develop Phase 1 of the SK408 Production Sharing Contract following field development plan approval from Petronas and the signing of key terms to a gas sales agreement.
      The report said this would be Sapura E&P’s (formerly SapuraKencana Energy Sarawak Inc) second major upstream gas development project in Sarawak after the successful development and commencement of production from the SK310 B15 gas field.
       Earlier, the Chief Minister witnessed the signing ceremony of the state’s equity acquisition in Malaysia LNG Tiga Sdn Bhd.

My comments:
     Are Abang Johari and his team going to do something to the breach of Petronas who still behave as if they owned these resources of Sarawak?