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KUCHING, Sept 18: Bintulu Additional Gas Facility (BAGSF-2) has commenced delivery to a new Sarawak methanol plant in Bintulu, supporting further growth of the petrochemical industry in Sarawak.
Design with a capacity of 390 million standard cubic feet of gas per day (MMscfd), the BAGSF-2 facility will supply 160 MMscfd to Sarawak’s first mega-methanol plant including another 70 MMscfd for power plants operated by Sarawak Energy Berhad.
The remaining capacity is allocated for other projects earmarked in Bintulu, under the Sarawak Gas Roadmap.
Speaking during the BAGSF-2 First Gas ceremony today, Petroliam Nasional Berhad’s (PETRONAS) senior vice president of Malaysia Petroleum Management, Mohamed Firouz Asnan said the construction of the BAGSF 2 facility, comprising both process and non-process units, has provided significant job opportunities for local contractors and youths.
“Its implementation was not without its challenges, though. When I spoke to the team, I gather that on top of carrying out modifications within a live LNG plant, the team also needed to complete the work with an accelerated timeline for the brownfield scope.
“Furthermore, as an industry, we are seeing tight contracting resources in light of the increasing industrial activities in Malaysia in general, and Sarawak specifically.
“Despite all that, I am proud that PETRONAS’ Project Management Team and their contractors as well as the MLNG Operations team, who together have persevered to overcome the challenges to deliver gas to support the commissioning requirements of Sarawak Petchem’s project,” he said.
Amongst those present were Sarawak Deputy Premier Datuk Amar Awang Tengah Ali Hasan; Minister of Food Industry, Commodity and Regional Development Dato Sri Dr Stephen Rundi Utom; Minister in the Premier’s Department Datuk John Sikie Tayai; Deputy Minister of Energy and Environmental Sustainability Dr Hazland Abang Hipni; Sarawak Petchem Sdn Bhd chairman Tan Sri Datuk Amar Abdul Aziz Husain; PETRONAS board member Dato Ibrahim Baki; and Bintulu Resident Nyurak Keti.
In 2016, PETRONAS signed an agreement with the Sarawak government to supply a total of 450 MMscfd of natural gas to Sarawak for power generation and state-owned petrochemical industries, which led to the construction of BAGSF-2 undertaken by Petronas Carigali Sdn Bhd.
Five years later, PETRONAS signed another Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to increase gas supply to 1,200 billion standard cubic feet of gas per day to Sarawak. — DayakDaily
