KUCHING: Sarawak Shell Bhd has awarded the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract for a wellhead platform for Timi gas field, offshore Miri, to Brooke Dockyard & Engineering Works Corp.
The unmanned platform will be Shell’s first wellhead platform in Malaysia powered by solar and wind hybrid power system.
Timi is a sweet gas field discovered in 2018 under the SK318 PSC 200km offshore Miri, in which Sarawak Shell as the operator holding 75% equity.
The other two partners are Petronas Carigali Sdn Bhd with 15% equity interest and Brunei Energy Exploration holding the remaining 10% stake.
According to Shell Malaysia chairman and senior vice-president (upstream) Ivan Tan, Timi would be developed as a normally unmanned platform, which will be tied into the existing Shell-operated F23 hub platform via a 80km pipeline.
“The Timi platform has groundbreaking features and it actually sets us up for a more sustainable future energy.
“The team has designed it to be fully powered by renewable sources of wind and solar, which is very much in line with Sarawak’s green economy agenda,’’ he said.
He was speaking at the EPC contract agreement signing with state-owned Brooke Dockyard, witnessed by Sarawak Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg.
The platform is about 60% lighter than a conventional tender-assisted drilling wellhead platform.
Tan said Timi is essential in supplying gas to Malaysia and is confident that together with its partners and Sarawak government, Shell will be able to leverage their joint expertise and capabilities to successfully deliver the Timi platform.
“Shell aspires to continue as a key partner and investor in the oil and gas industry in the state as we have been in Sarawak for the past 110 years.
“We have grown together with Sarawak and we hope to continue to progress in exploration in the development of opportunities that we still have in the oil and gas industry here together with our partners, Petroliam Nasional Bhd (Petronas) and Petroleum Sarawak Bhd (Petros).”
Johari commended Shell’s commitment on the bold move of building a wellhead platform powered by renewable energy, as this is in line with Sarawak’s green economy agenda, which would enable the state to move towards a faster energy transition.
“We are treating the green economy agenda in Sarawak seriously as while we are witnessing this collaboration, the world leaders are talking about climate change now to mitigate the effects of carbon emissions,” he added.
The Chief Minister said with this partnership and transfer of technology, Sarawak will be able to move forward in its efforts to transition to a green economy.
Johari said Sarawak is also exploring hydrogen as part of the renewable energy sources.
This demonstrated the state government’s serious efforts to position Sarawak with the rest of the world, especially when it comes to green economy as sustainability is one of the key elements in the state’s development plan.
“I am also looking forward to Shell’s upcoming investment in Bintulu with an onshore gas plant and another facility offshore in the coming years,” he added, without elaborating.
Shell and its partners in the SK318 PSC have been identified at “Investor No. 1” in the Petchem Industrial Park, Kidurong Masterplan.
It involves integrated project development to monetise gas fields discovered near Bintulu and to meet gas supply-demand in Sarawak.
The Petchem Industrial Park is an initiative by the Sarawak government to build a petrochemical hub with a future downstream value-added integrated petrochemical complex.
The Sarawak Economic Development Corp, which has been entrusted to develop, manage and operate the park, has acquired some 1,002 acres for the park development.