By DayakDaily Team
KUCHING, Sept 10: PETRONAS, through Malaysia Petroleum Management (MPM), has marked two key milestones in advancing Malaysia’s upstream sector with the award of the Estuary Cluster Production Sharing Contract (PSC) and the handover of enhanced seismic data for the Mutiara Cluster.
MPM recently awarded the Small Field Asset Production Sharing Contract (SFA PSC) for the Estuary Cluster to Harvester Energy (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd (Harvester), a wholly owned subsidiary of Australia-based Harvester Energy Pty Ltd.
The Estuary Cluster comprises the Lerek, Korbu and Diwangsa fields in the Malay Basin, a proven hydrocarbon province offshore Peninsular Malaysia.
The cluster is expected to unlock stranded marginal oil resources through a technology-led development concept featuring a novel shallow-water subsea approach.
The approach is aimed at accelerating first commercial production, reducing capital expenditure and minimising the physical footprint compared with conventional development concepts. It also supports the reuse and redeployment of existing production infrastructure.
Senior Vice President of MPM, Datuk Ir Dr Bacho Pilong, said the PSC award reflected PETRONAS’ continued focus on unlocking Malaysia’s discovered resources through innovative and fit-for-purpose development solutions.
“The award of the Estuary Cluster PSC reflects PETRONAS’ continued focus on unlocking Malaysia’s discovered resources through innovative and fit-for-purpose development solutions.
“By introducing technology-led approaches, we are opening new pathways to monetise small and stranded fields that may otherwise remain undeveloped,” he said in a media release today.
The award also marks Harvester’s entry into Malaysia’s upstream sector and reinforces the country’s position as an attractive destination for agile and technology-focused energy players seeking opportunities in small field development.
The Estuary Cluster was offered through Malaysia Bid Round Plus (MBR+), which complements the annual Malaysia Bid Round (MBR) by providing investors with year-round access to selected upstream opportunities and technical data through PETRONAS myPROdata.
Beyond creating new investment opportunities, MPM is also supporting the progression of existing discoveries towards development by reducing technical uncertainties and enabling more informed development decisions.
Meanwhile, MPM has handed over an enhanced 3D seismic dataset to DIALOG Resources Sdn Bhd (DIALOG) for the Mutiara Cluster off the east coast of Sabah.
The handover marks a significant step towards progressing the cluster towards production and advancing discovered resources in the Sandakan Basin.
Bacho said the delivery of the enhanced dataset was an important milestone for the Sandakan Basin, as it represented MPM’s first acquisition of new 3D seismic data over an area where existing coverage was already available.
“The improved subsurface imaging will enable DIALOG to better evaluate Mutiara Cluster’s resources and support East Sabah’s long-term energy security,” he said.
The Mutiara Cluster comprises five discovered marginal oil and gas fields, namely the Nymphe, Nymphe North, Kuda Terbang, Benrinnes and Mutiara Hitam.
DIALOG was awarded the cluster under an SFA PSC during MBR 2025, with first production targeted for 2029.
Development of the Mutiara Cluster is further supported by efforts to optimise project costs and accelerate the First Gas Date, alongside the sharing of information and technical proposals to facilitate the cluster’s development.
These efforts are complemented by ongoing collaboration with Sabah state agencies to foster development synergies and stakeholder alignment in support of the state’s long-term energy growth along its east coast.
Together, the Estuary Cluster PSC award and Mutiara Cluster seismic data handover underscore PETRONAS’ broader approach to strengthening Malaysia’s upstream proposition by widening access to investment opportunities and enabling discovered resources to progress towards production more efficiently. — DayakDaily
