Petronas has commenced its first gas production at the Kasawari field, located in Block SK316, approximately 200 km off the coast of Sarawak, at an initial flow rate of 200 million standard cubic feet per day (mmscf/d).

Block SK316 is operated by Petronas Carigali which holds a 90% participating interest, while the remaining 10% is held by Exploration and Production Malaysia Venture (EPMV).

The Kasawari field, discovered in 2011, is a vital source of natural gas for the Petronas LNG Complex in Bintulu to meet the rising domestic gas requirements. It contains approximately 10 trillion cubic feet (tcf) of natural gas reserves, with a gas sales rate of 545 mmscf/d.

The Kasawari Gas Field Development (GFD) project encompasses the construction of a Central Processing Platform (CPP), a Flare Platform, and a Wellhead Platform (WHP), all of which are linked to the CPP by bridges.

The extracted gas from the Kasawari field is distributed to a newl riser platform at the E11 production hub through an 81km carbon steel pipeline. From there, it is further distributed to customers in Bintulu.

The CPP for the field is listed in the Malaysia Book of Records as the Heaviest Offshore Structure Platform, with a total weight of 53,893 metric tons (MT).

“Kasawari is a testament to our local capabilities in executing large-scale projects. This accomplishment, involving more than 450 local subcontractors and vendors, was achieved within 26.6 million man-hours,” said Malaysia Petroleum Management Senior VP Datuk Ir. Bacho Pilong.

“We are proud of this significant milestone, achieved, with strong support from both the federal and state governments, as well as the collaboration between our petroleum arrangement contractors and local service providers,” he added.