Petronas Carigali discovers additional oil fields in Bertam

Petronas Carigali Sdn Bhd and Lundin Oil have jointly discovered additional oil fields, under a production sharing contract, (PSC) at Block PM 307 of the Bertam oil field.

He said the oil field, located 160 kilometres offshore Peninsular Malaysia, is opposite the state of Pahang at the depth of 76 metres.

PM 307 PSC is operated by Lundin Malaysia which holds a 75 percent interest and Petronas holds the remaining equity.

"This is very significant because we never discovered oil in commercial quantity at Penyu Basin and this is a major breakthrough.

"Based on the findings of commercial and technical feasibility studies, crude oil production will begin at the oil fields in the third quarter of 2014 with a projected output of between 17,500 and 20,000 barrels per day," Najib told reporters after chairing the Biotechnology Implementation Council meeting here.

The Prime Minister said with the additional discovery, the Bertam oilfield is estimated to have oil reserves of 64 million barrels.

Najib, who is also Finance Minister, said Pahang was expected to receive a special payment of RM100mil a year, once production begins in the third quarter of 2014.

"This discovery proved there is oil and gas at the Southern region of the Malay Basin towards the Penyu Basin.

"The oilfield is located on the continent shelf which is under the jurisdiction of the Federal government.

"This is our policy to distribute oil wealth with five percent cash payment to Pahang," he added.

Meanwhile, Ramlan A Malek, Vice-President, Petronas Nasional Bhd, Exploration & Production Business, Petroleum Management said the commercial and technical feasibility studies were expected to be completed in the second quarter of next year.

He also said this was the first oil discovery in the Pahang state. - Bernama

Petronas agrees to Canada extension on C$5.17b Progress bid, sources say

Malaysian state oil firm Petronas has agreed to the Canadian government’s extension of a review of its C$5.17 billion (RM15.6 billion) bid for gas producer Progress Energy Resources, said two Petronas sources familiar with the deal.

The decision was made by a regular monthly Petronas board meeting, the sources told Reuters, adding the Malaysian firm is also studying additional steps to reassure Canada that the proposed acquisition will have a “net benefit” for the country, the sources said.

“Petronas will go all the way to secure this deal. It is important to Petronas that the deal is done,” one of the sources said.

Canada blocked Petronas’ bid for Progress Energy this month after Industry Minister Christian Paradis said it was not likely to bring a ‘net benefit’ to the country. He gave Petronas 30 days to make additional representations.

Progress CEO Michael Culbert has blamed a “communications breakdown” for Canada’s surprise rejection of the deal, and said he was optimistic the deal could get back on track. — Reuters

Bumi Armada's Nigeria contract extended one-yr

Bumi Armada Bhd's contract to provide its floating production, storage and offloading (FPSO) unit in the Okoro-Setu field, off Nigeria, has been extended another year.

It said on Tuesday Afren Energy Resources Ltd had exercised the first of the five one-year extensions from the original contract for the FPSO Armada Perkasa with effect from July 1, 2013.

The Malaysia-based international offshore oil and gas services provider said the contract extension was estimated at RM100mil.

Bumi Armada CEO Hassan Basma said its Armada Perkasa unit had been operating for Afren since 2008 with 99.8% uptime and it achieved its 1,000 days without loss time injuries in July this year.

"This contract extension underscores our international expansion and consolidation in our strategic markets of Africa, particularly in the Gulf of Guinea," he said.

The Armada Perkasa, which is 211.2 m long and weighs 58,557 deadweight tonnes, has a production capacity of 27,000 barrels per day of liquids and storage capacity for 360,000 barrels.

ROC announces successful Balai Cluster appraisal well offshore Malaysia

BC Petroleum Sdn Bhd (BCP), the Company incorporated to operate and manage the Balai Cluster Risk Service Contract (RSC) in Malaysia, has drilled the Bentara-2 well to a total depth of 2755 metres TVDss (TD) and has encountered hydrocarbons. Shareholders of BC Petroleum (BCP) are ROC (48%), Dialog Group (32%) and PETRONAS Carigali (20%). 

The Bentara-2 well is the first well in the predevelopment phase drilling and is located in the Bentara field, offshore East Malaysia. The Bentara-2 well reached TD on 21 October 2012.

Initial assessment based on preliminary logging results indicates an estimated net hydrocarbon pay in excess of 100 metres across a total interval of 650 metres. The logs indicate the presence of multiple hydrocarbon bearing reservoirs. The well confirms the downdip extension of the hydrocarbon columns observed in the Bentara structure. 

Following conclusion of the logging programme, the well will be cased and completed in preparation for well testing.

Rolf Stork, the Chief Operating Officer for ROC, and also Chief Executive Officer for BCP, said: 'This is a very pleasing start to the drilling programme and represents another positive milestone for both ROC and BCP operations in the region.'

The Balai Cluster RSC consists of four fields: Balai, Bentara, West Acis and Spaoh fields. The drilling of the appraisal wells is part of the pre-development phase which commenced in early 2012. On successful completion of the pre-development phase and agreement on the economic viability of the fields, BCP will submit a field development plan and progress to development of the fields. 

Govt wants Petronas to revise bid or do its best for Canadian project

The government wants Petronas, Malaysia’s national oil and gas company, either to rebid or do its best to ensure the success of its C$5.17 billion acquisition of Canadian firm, Progress Energy Resources Corp.

Minister of Energy, Green Technology and Water, Datuk Seri Peter Chin Fah Kui said, “There is a 30-day period which they can still talk to the authorities.

“Well I suppose they (Petronas) have been working very hard on that project, of course it will be like a setback to them,” he told reporters after participating as one of the panelists at the Singapore Energy Summit here yesterday.

The event was held in conjunction with Singapore International Energy Week.

Chin was asked to comment on whether Canada’s decision to block Petronas’ bid for gas producer Progress Energy Resources was a setback.

The minister said he did not know of the process but “I was told that there is a 30-day period”.

Asked whether Petronas would appeal, Chin said,”I am sure because of this sizeable investment that they have been proposing … I am sure that they will conduct everything possible from their angle that is needed.

“Be it to revise bid or whatever is needed, this is something I can only tell as somebody who sits in the oil and gas committee, I feel it is important for them to do something about it,” said Chin, who is a member of the oil and gas committee.

When asked on Malaysia’s outlook on energy demand in the next three to five years, Chin said,“We are talking about 2015-16 that is our projection for the next line up in terms of demand.

He said Malaysia will need another 4,500 megawatts by 2016.
“We have just recently conducted bidding process for the 4,500 megawatts,” he added. — Bernama

Raise Sabah’s oil royalty, urges assemblyman

Datuk Syed Abas Syed Ali has called for a doubling of Sabah’s oil royalty payments by Petroliam Nasional Bhd (Petronas) from the present five per cent, saying it would enable more effective implementation of the state’s development agenda.

“Failing that, a 50 per cent increase to 7.5 per cent would also be good. I am confident this matter can be negotiated, and the increase need not be implemented immediately,” he said when debating the Sabah State Budget 2013 at the State Legislative Assembly here today.

Syed Abas also expressed gratitude to the corporate sector for investing in the state, citing Petronas which he said has helped the state government’s efforts to develop the state’s economy and enhance the people’s well-being.

 – Bernama

Petronas sets up new unit - Exploration Production Operations Maintenance (EPOM)

A newly set-up subsidiary of Malaysia’s state operator Petronas Carigali is set to take over the operations of the Gumusut Kakap semi-submersible production unit from Malaysia’s beleaguered shipping outfit, MISC, 

Petronas is understood to have set up a separate unit, called Exploration Production Operations Maintenance (EPOM), to take over the production semisub operations and maintenance from MISC’s subsidiary, FPSO Ventures. 

The Malaysian state operator is set to pick up 50% equity stake from MISC in the delayed project through another wholly-owned subsidiary, EP Ventures Solutions. 

MISC estimates the Gumusut Kakap production semisub now costs in excess of $2 billion, including $290 million of cost over-run from multi-year delays on the project delivery. 

The equity offload to another Petronas subsidiary is viewed by industry observers as a move to improve the cash position of MISC. 

Credit agencies including Standard & Poor’s and Moody’s subsequently uplifted the ratings on MISC after the proposed disposal.

Petronas Rejection Casts Doubt on Cnooc $15.1 Billion Bid

Canada’s rejection of a bid by Malaysia’s state oil company for Progress Energy Resources Corp. (PRQ) casts doubt on Beijing-based Cnooc Ltd.’s $15.1-billion takeover of Nexen Inc. (NXY) and raises questions about the openness of Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s government to foreign investment.

Industry Minister Christian Paradis said in a statement he wasn’t satisfied the C$5.2 billion ($5.23 billion) acquisition by Petroliam Nasional Bhd., known as Petronas, is in Canada’s interest. Harper’s Conservative government reviewed the bid under its foreign takeover law, which says transactions must be judged to have a “net benefit” to Canada.

“The implication now is that the government does not want a foreign national oil company to acquire Canadian companies,” said Eric Nuttall, a portfolio manager with Sprott Asset Management LP in Toronto. “For a Conservative government to make this decision is mind-boggling. The amount of capital that that decision wipes out is stunning.”

The Petronas rejection marks the second time in two years Harper’s administration has denied a multi-billion dollar overseas bid. The government blocked BHP Billiton Ltd. (BHP)’s $40 billion hostile offer for Potash Corp. (POT) of Saskatchewan Inc. in 2010 after the province’s premier, Brad Wall, opposed it.

Canadian Finance Minister Jim Flaherty said Petronas still has the opportunity to negotiate with government officials to salvage its rejected bid for Progress.

“The proposals have to be correct, and certain conditions from time to time will be proposed by the minister of industry and it’s his responsibility, and I think that’s what’s going on in this particular application.” Flaherty told CTV.

Undermines Message
The ruling undermines Harper’s message that Canada welcomes foreign investment, investors said. Harper has called it a “national priority” to sell more natural resources to Asia, to boost growth in the world’s 11th-largest economy by diversifying exports away from the slower-growing U.S. market, which consumes three-quarters of Canada’s shipments abroad.

Canada’s gross domestic product of $1.74 trillion exceeds Malaysia’s annual output of $279 billion, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.

Selloff Coming
Current projects in Canada’s oil-sands, part of the third- largest oil deposits in the world, require investments of C$220 billion, the Canadian Energy Research Institute said in a March report.

Canada needs an “immense” amount of capital to develop its oil and gas, Natural Resources Minister Joe Oliver said on Sept. 4. “We don’t have enough capital in this country so we are welcoming capital from outside,” he said after a speech in Toronto.

The Petronas decision will probably prompt a selloff in shares of Progress and Nexen, as well as companies such as Encana Corp. (ECA) and Talisman Energy Inc. (TLM) that have been perceived as takeover targets, said Sachin Shah, a merger arbitrage strategist at Tullett Prebon Americas Corp. in New York.

“This is going to put a pall on basically the whole energy sector, and maybe even materials -- gold, copper, silver,” Shah said in a telephone interview. “If he wants to look for net benefit, watch what happens Monday. Billions of dollars are going to be lost.”

Outpacing Index
Progress shares closed at C$21.65 on Oct. 19 in Toronto, down 0.9 percent and below the C$22 a share offer from Petronas. The company’s stock is up 64 percent this year, while the S&P/TSX Energy Sector index is little changed over that period. Nexen shares dropped 1.5 percent to $25.40 in New York, 7.6 percent less than the $27.50 offered by Cnooc. It was the biggest drop in three months for Nexen, paring the year-to-date gain to 55 percent.

Investors should buy Progress shares if they fall as far as C$17, said Catharine Sterritt, a Toronto-based risk arbitrage strategist at Bank of Nova Scotia, in an e-mailed report.

Patti Lewis, a spokeswoman for Nexen, and Peter Hunt, a spokesman for Cnooc, did not immediately return e-mails seeking comment.

Petronas has 30 days to appeal or provide additional concessions, at which point the government will make a final decision, according to the statement by Paradis. The company can be given more time if both parties agree.

Surprise Decision
“We’re very surprised by the decision,” Progress Chief Executive Officer Michael Culbert said by phone from Calgary after the decision was released minutes before the midnight review deadline on Oct. 19.

Petronas will appeal the ruling and Progress will “help where we can help,” Culbert said. “We believe that the transaction is of net benefit to Canada. Progress will continue to work with the federal government to prove that point.”

Still, some investors say it’s hard to decipher the government’s intentions without any explanation for the rejection. Investment Canada Act rules prevent Paradis from commenting, aside from saying the deal didn’t provide a net benefit.

Petronas completes acquisition of two companies in Philippines

Petronas Dagangan Bhd (PDB) has completed the acquisition of Petronas Energy Philippines Inc (PEPI) and Duta Inc (Duta) in accordance with the terms of the share sale and purchase agreements dated June 1, 2012.

In a statement today, PDB said following the completion of the acquisition, PEPI and Duta will be held by it via its newly-incorporated, wholly-owned investment holding company, PDB (Netherlands) B.V.

Its managing director/chief executive officer, Aminul Rashid Mohd Zamzam, said the strategic regional expansion plan was part of PDB's effort to expand its market reach and geographically diversify revenue and earnings base.

"PDB is confident of growing its presence in the region by leveraging on Petronas' strong brand in these countries and utilising its shared supply.

"Moreover, we will also be able to tap into PDB's 30 years of experience, scale and technical capabilities to drive our growth," he said.

The two companies are part of the six downstream companies in South-East Asia which PDB acquired earlier in June 2012.

Canada Rejects Petronas’s Bid for Progress Energy

Canada blocked Petroliam Nasional Bhd.’s C$5.2 billion ($5.23 billion) takeover of Progress Energy Resources Corp. (PRQ), saying the bid by the Malaysian state-owned company wasn’t in Canada’s national interests.

In what investors say is a test case for the $15.1 billion bid by Cnooc Ltd. of China for Calgary-based Nexen Inc. (NXY), the Canadian government said it “was not satisfied that the proposed investment is likely to be of net benefit to Canada,” according to an Oct. 19 statement from Industry Minister Christian Paradis. The minister couldn’t comment further.

The rejection is Canada’s second in two years following the 2010 failure of BHP Billiton Ltd. (BHP)’s $40 billion bid for Potash Corp. of Saskatchewan Inc. In both decisions, government officials gave little explanation for their reasoning.

“It could be the death knell of Nexen if the grounds are around reciprocity and state-owned enterprises,” said Jack Mintz, director of the University of Calgary’s School of Public Policy. Canada’s foreign-investment rules remain vague and “the government needs to send a clear signal on what’s on and what’s off in terms of foreign investment.”

Prime Minister Stephen Harper has touted Canada as an energy superpower and is seeking deeper trade ties with China and India to diversify exports away from the slower-growing U.S. market, which consumes three-quarters of Canada’s exports. Canada’s foreign-takeover law requires acquisitions offer a “net benefit” to the country.

Petronas Appeal

“We’re very surprised by the decision,” Progress Energy Chief Executive Officer Michael Culbert said by phone from Calgary after the decision was released two minutes before a midnight deadline for the review.

Petronas will appeal the ruling and Progress Energy will “help where we can help,” Culbert said. “We believe that the transaction is of net benefit to Canada. Progress will continue to work with the federal government to prove that point.”

Azman Ibrahim, a spokesman for Petronas in Kuala Lumpur, declined to comment when contacted by Bloomberg News.

Canada’s gross domestic product of $1.74 trillion exceeds Malaysia’s annual output of $279 billion, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.

Progress Energy closed at C$21.65 on Oct. 19 in Toronto, down 0.9 percent and below the C$22 a share offer from Petronas. Nexen shares dropped 1.5 percent to $25.40 in New York, 7.6 percent less than the $27.50 offered by Beijing-based Cnooc. It was the biggest drop in three months for Nexen.

‘Welcoming Investment’

Harper said Sept. 6 his government is preparing a “policy framework” for foreign investment to clarify issues raised in takeovers such as Cnooc’s offer for Nexen. A decision on that friendly bid is expected next month. Two calls to the mobile phone of a Cnooc spokeswoman went unanswered.

Under the Investment Canada Act, the government reviews all foreign takeovers valued at more than C$330 million to determine whether they are in the country’s interest. 

In weighing whether an acquisition provides a “net benefit,” the government considers several factors, including the impact on economic activity and employment; the degree of participation of Canadians in the acquired business; the impact on productivity and technology development and the effect on competition.

Petronas has 30 days to appeal or provide additional concessions, at which point the government will make a final decision, according to the statement by Paradis. Bank of America Merrill Lynch advised Petronas, while Bank of Montreal (BMO) worked with Progress.

‘Shocking’ Decision

“Canada has a long standing reputation for welcoming foreign investment,” Paradis said in the statement. “The government of Canada remains committed to maintaining an open climate for investment.”

The Petronas decision is “shocking” said Gordon Currie, an analyst at Salman Partners in Calgary. “I don’t yet know what the government’s reasoning is, but this has implications for the Nexen and Celtic deals, and may cause a ’chill’ on future transactions with foreign investors.”

Exxon Mobil Corp., the world’s largest energy company by market value, said Oct. 17 it had agreed to buy Celtic Exploration Ltd. (CLT) for C$2.86 billion in cash and stock, adding oil and gas production in Canada’s Montney and Duvernay shale.

“The Industry Minister has created a real mess,” said opposition New Democratic Party lawmaker Peter Julian. “I don’t think that anyone can have any confidence in what they will come up with for a decision on Cnooc and Nexen,” he said.

‘Look Tough’

The government may have used Petronas to “look tough” before accepting Cnooc’s bid, while in the past the government has “rubber stamped” other investments, Julian said. Canada has only blocked three foreign takeovers in 27 years.

The Petronas rejection comes a day after the country’s telecommunications regulator blocked a C$3 billion takeover of Astral Media Inc. (ACM/A) by BCE Inc. (BCE), both of Montreal. The regulator said the purchase would give BCE too much clout in the market for specialty television and radio.

Progress Energy agreed in late June to the takeover by Petronas, as Malaysia’s state-owned oil and natural-gas company is known, after rejecting two acquisition proposals from a “multi-national oil company,” according to a July 20 regulatory filing. The board of Progress, a Calgary-based natural gas producer, was in talks with the unidentified company until June 11, about two weeks before the Petronas deal was announced.

Progress then received an unsolicited proposal from a third party, according to a July 27 statement. That prompted Petronas to sweeten its offer to C$22 a share, valuing Progress at C$5.16 billion.

Montney Shale

Petronas closed a deal with Progress in August 2011 to develop Montney assets, paying C$267.5 million up front for a 50 percent interest and committing to spend another C$802.5 million to fund development.

The two companies also worked together to potentially develop a liquefied natural gas export project for the west coast. The terminal that would be located in Prince Rupert, British Columbia, is among more than a handful proposed by oil and gas companies for Canada’s Pacific coast, and could export two billion cubic feet of gas a day by 2018, according to research analysts at Calgary investment bank Peters & Co. Ltd.

Canada should create clearer rules on foreign investment such as whether bids from state-owned enterprises will be treated differently, said Mintz of the University of Calgary.

“I wonder how much Nexen shares are going to drop on Monday,” he said.

Petronas in bids call for Yetagun North field off Burma contract

Malaysia’s Petronas is calling for turnkey contract bids on the satellite development of the Yetagun North field off Burma. 

A tender has been issued for the construction and installation of a new wellhead platform and associated pipelines. 

The satellite platform, understood to weigh in at about 5000 tonnes, will be tied via a 10-inch, 11-kilometre pipeline to the central processing platform at the producing Yetagun field. 

As many as 15 offshore fabricators and transportation and installation contractors were invited to submit their bids by October 22. 

Potential contenders include Nippon Steel, SapuraKencana, Gunanusa, THHeavy Engineering — formerly Ramunia, Larsen & Toubro — and Swiber Offshore. 

The award of the contract,estimated at $120 million, is expected to take place before the end of the year. Offshore in­stallation is aimed for the fourth quarter of 2014, with the engineering, procurement and construction projected to start in early 2013. 

Malaysia’s RNZ Integrated under­took front-end engineering and design studies on the Yetagun North field development. 

Output is projected to peak at 70 million cubic feet per day of gas from two subsea wells. 

After taking over as field operator at Yetagun from Premier Oil in 2003, Petronas has embarked on the Yetagun North field development to fulfill the commitment of delivering gas at a plateau rate of 400 mmcfd until April 2014. 

Wet gas produced from the field is dehydrated at the existing Yetagun-B wellhead platform before being exported to Thailand. 

Condensate is transferred to a floating storage and offloading vessel moored at the field.

Petronas' jointly run S. Sudan operator expected to resume oil exports in 3 months

South Sudan expects its oil exports to come back to the market in three months after the government ordered oil companies to resume production on Thursday, its oil minister said.

Last month, it reached a deal with Sudan to resume exports through northern pipelines after shutting down its output of 350,000 barrels a day in January in a row over fees.

The biggest foreign operator, Dar Petroleum, which is run by Chinese state firms Sinopec, China National Petroleum Corp and Malaysia's Petronas, said last month it expects an initial output of 180,000 bpd within three months.

"The foreign oil companies ... are hereby ordered and instructed forthwith to recommence and re-establish the production of crude oil and all petroleum operations within the producing blocks 1,2,4,3,7 and 5a," Stephen Dhieu Dau told reporters.

Dar, formerly known as Petrodar, runs oil blocks 3 and 7 in Upper Nile state which used to pump between 230,000 bpd and 250,000 bpd until the shutdown. Its sister firm also operates an export pipeline through Sudan.

The two export pipelines through Sudan were filled with water to avoid gelling and some fields in western Unity state were damaged during weeks of fighting in April between the rivals. A processing plant for the Unity fields located on the Sudan side of the disputed border also got hit.

Last month, an official said South Sudan will only pump oil at about 70 percent of its former capacity as it would take up to six months for oil to flow into the pipeline from Upper Nile state and nine to 12 months in the pipeline from Unity state. 

- Reuters

Oil & Gas Company Santos Achieves Record Sales After Increase In Price

Oil and gas company Santos, which has joint venture projects with Petronas, has maintained its full year forecasts and achieved record quarterly sales revenue due to a steep increase in gas price.

Santos lifted its third quarter production as the gas price shot up 19 per cent amid record production at the Carnarvon Basin.

"The third quarter demonstrates the growth in our base business," Santos chief executive David Knox said in a statement on Thursday.

"The quarter also stands out for the highest quarterly sales revenue in the company's history."

Santos produced 13.5 million barrels of oil equivalent (mmboe) in the three months to September 30, up six per cent from 12.7 mmboe in the previous corresponding period.

-- BERNAMA

Loji wax baharu bertaraf dunia

Shell MDS (M) Sdn. Bhd. (SMDS) hari ini melangkah setapak lagi dalam industri pembuatan wax antarabangsa dengan melancarkan loji baharu bernilai AS$100 juta (RM306 juta) di kompleks gas-ke-cecair (GTL) di Tanjung Kidurong di sini.

Pengarah Urusannya, Ate Visser berkata, pengembangan operasi kompleks GTL berkenaan telah meningkatkan kapasiti pengeluaran kepada 14,700 tong sehari untuk produk bersih GTL dengan GTL pepejal menyumbang sebahagian besar daripadanya.

“Loji baharu ini telah meningkatkan kapasiti pengeluaran sebanyak sekali ganda berbanding sebelum ini dengan jumlah kapasiti pengeluaran sebanyak 150 juta tan setahun.

“Ketika ini, kapasiti pengeluaran wax granula telah mencapai tahap 100 peratus operasi, manakala wax slab sudah mencapai 80 peratus daripada tahap sasaran," katanya.

Beliau berkata demikian pada sidang akhbar selepas majlis pelancaran loji baharu berkenaan yang telah disempurnakan oleh Menteri di Jabatan Perdana Menteri, Datuk Seri Idris Jala.

Yang turut hadir Pengerusi Shell Malaysia, Iain Lo.

Projek yang siap pada November tahun lalu ini merupakan sebahagian daripada pelan pelaburan sebanyak RM5.1 bilion oleh Shell di Malaysia bagi mengembangkan operasinya termasuk projek pembinaan Unit Pemprosesan Diesel di Port Dickson dan pembangunan laut dalam di Gumusut-Kakap yang terletak di perairan Sarawak dan Sabah.

Loji GTL di Bintulu merupakan loji yang pertama di dunia yang menggunakan gas asli daripada perairan Sarawak untuk menghasilkan wax, minyak pelincir penggerudian, bahan api kimia dan minyak gred tinggi.

Visser berkata, Shell telah menetapkan visi untuk menjadi peneraju dalam industri GTL dunia dengan Bintulu menjadi hab pertama membangunkan produk berkenaan di dunia .

“Produk yang dihasilkan sangat bermutu tinggi dan hampir 95 peratus daripadanya dieksport ke lebih 50 negara di seluruh dunia dengan menggunakan jenama GTL Sarawax," jelasnya.

Sementara itu, Lo berkata, produk GTL mempunyai ciri-ciri yang unik, contohnya gasoil dan kerosin GTL tidak mempunyai sulfur serta bau an ini sekali gus dapat mengurangkan kos operasi kepada syarikat pembuatan.

Loji GTL di Bintulu adalah hasil usahasama antara Shell, Mitsubishi, Petronas dan Kerajaan Negeri Sarawak.

Petronas Signs MOU With OPITO

Petroliam Nasional Bhd (Petronas) has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Offshore Petroleum Industry Training Organisation (OPITO) to collaborate in the areas of safety, technical and strategic competency development.

In a statement Tuesday, Petronas said under the MOU, OPITO would assess and accredit selected health safety and environment and technical programmes offered by Institut Teknologi Petroleum Petronas and the company's group health, safety and environment division.

The MOU also included strategic competency development via learning visits, staff attachments, student internships and network access, it said.

"With OPITO's assessment on the selected programmes under Institut Teknologi Petroleum Petronas and the company's group health, safety and environment division we can set the training standards and ensure adoption of the best practices," said Petronas vice president of human resource management, Raiha Azni Abdul Rahman.

-- BERNAMA

Shell MDS to double output of solid wax

Shell MDS (M) Sdn Bhd’s newly-expanded solid wax plant at the gas-to-liquids (GTL) complex at Tanjung Kidurong here, is doubling its current daily capacity of 14,7000 barrels using natural gas from offshore Sarawak, its managing director Ate Visser said.

Visser, who is also Gas Shell Upstream International Asia vice-president, said the US$100mil plant, completed in November last year, had the capacity to convert about three million cu metres of natural gas to produce about 150 kilotonnes of waxes per annum, including granules and slabs.

“Our investment in the plant is a strategic one.

“We believe there is a long-term growth potential for synthethic waxes.

“We are proud that our waxes are marketed to over 50 countries in Asia, Europe, the Americas and Australia,” he told reporters after the launch of plant expansion by Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Idris Jala.

A joint venture between Shell, Mitsubishi, Petronas and the Sarawak state government, the plant is the world’s first commercial GTL plant opened in 1993 and being operated by Shell MDS.

The expanded plant is the first under the three entry point projects to be completed following Shell’s announcement of an investment of RM5.1bil to further develop its various oil and gas facilities across the country.

Visser said 95% of the products at the plant, including a wide range of industrial applications such as hot-melt adhesives, fiberboards, PVC lubricants, plastic processing, candles and coatings, were for the export market. – Bernama

Faedah Belanjawan Untuk Tarik Lebih Banyak Firma Terlibat Dalam Sektor O&G -- LSE

Faedah cukai Belanjawan 2013 untuk pelaburan dalam sektor minyak dan gas (O&G) akan menarik lebih banyak firma melibatkan diri dalam sektor hiliran, penapisan dan kemudahan penyimpanan untuk petroleum.

Ketua pegawai eksekutif Labuan Shipyard Engineering Sdn Bhd (LSE), Mohd Azman Nasir, berkata ini akan mendorong sektor itu, terutamanya di Labuan dan Sabah.

"Belanjawan 2013 telah menunjukkan komitmen kukuh kepada sektor O&G, yang mana Labuan adalah salah satu fabrikator utama," katanya kepada Bernama di sini Selasa.

Perdana Menteri Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak telah mengumumkan pengecualian pada cukai korporat dan pegangan untuk 10 tahun bagi syarikat-syarikat yang terbabit dalam penyimpanan petroleum di Johor.

Terdapat juga 100 peratus pelepasan cukai pelaburan untuk 10 tahun bagi syarikat-syarikat baharu yang memasuki sektor penapisan negara.

Beliau berkata sektor O&G adalah penting kerana ia mewakili sehingga 30 peratus pelaburan di bawah Program Transformasi Kerajaan.

"Ini akan memberikan dorongan kepada peserta O&G, terutamanya mereka di sektor hiliran dan ini akan mengukuhkan aktiviti kewangan mereka," katanya.

Azman berkata insentif itu akan membantu peserta menggunakan dana yang diperuntukkan sebagai cukai untuk kegunaan pelaburan semula.

Beliau berkata tidak semua syarikat O&G, bagaimanapun, akan mendapat manfaat daripada insentif-insentif ini kerana kebanyakan manfaat ini akan memberi faedah kepada peserta hiliran dan cecair gas asli.

-- BERNAMA

India's ONGS Keen To Partner With Petronas In Its Ventures

India 's Oil and Natural Gas Corp Ltd (ONGC) is keen to partner with Petronas in its ventures in third-party countries, Minister in the Prime Minister's Department, Tan Sri Nor Mohamed Yakcop.

"They have expressed interest to work along with the national oil company, Petronas.

"We would look into it," he told Bernama after meeting India's Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas, Jaipal Reddy, on the sidelines of PetroTech 2012 here today.

Also present were Malaysian High Commissioner to India Datuk Tan Seng Sung and Petronas' general manager, strategic research, corporate strategic planning division, Abd Rahim Mahmood.

ONGC's wholly-owned unit, ONGC Videsh Ltd, already has a partnership with Petronas in the downstream industry in India.

-- BERNAMA

Misi minyak dan gas ke Kazakhstan berjaya

Syarikat Malaysia berjaya menjana jualan sebanyak RM195 juta (AS$64 juta) ketika menyertai Misi Pemasaran Khusus (SMM) bagi minyak dan gas sempena Persidangan dan Pameran Minyak dan Gas Antarabangsa Kazakhstan (KIOGE) 2012.

Timbalan Ketua Pegawai Eksekutif Perbadanan Pembangunan Perdagangan Luar Malaysia (Matrade), Datuk Zakaria Kamarudin berkata, jualan tersebut dijana daripada pelbagai produk dan perkhidmatan.

"Ia meliputi perkhidmatan kejuruteraan, gasket, meterai dan sendi pengembangan, pengangkutan produk dan perkhidmatan halal, bahan-bahan radioaktif dan lain-lain.

"Syarikat-syarikat Malaysia mengadakan pertemuan dengan pulangan hasil yang banyak dan nilai jualan yang dijana adalah enam kali lebih daripada SMM sempena Forum Antarabangsa Ekonomi Dunia yang dianjurkan pada tahun lepas," katanya dalam kenyataan akhbar yang dikeluarkan di sini hari ini.

Dalam pada itu juga, Zakaria menggesa syarikat-syarikat yang mengambil bahagian mempertimbangkan cadangan untuk mewujudkan kesan yang lebih baik dari segi kekuatan dan saiz kehadiran mereka di pasaran tempatan serta memudahkan kerjasama dengan rakan sejawatannya dari Kazakhstan.

Sementara itu, Penasihat Perdagangan Matrade, Dr. Ali Sher mencadangkan agar syarikat-syarikat Malaysia membentuk konsortium-konsortium tersendiri dalam usaha memasuki ke pasaran Kazakhstan dengan skala yang lebih besar dan kuat.

Malaysia O&G Companies Generate US$64 Million Sales In Kazakhstan

Malaysian companies generated US$64 million in sales during a specialised marketing mission for oil and gas held in conjunction with the six-day Kazakhstan International Oil & Gas Exhibition and Conference (KIOGE) 2012 which ended on Oct 5.

The Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation (Matrade) said the generated sales were for various products and services such as engineering services, gasket, seals and expansion joints, transportation of halal products and services, non-destructive testing and radioactive materials and metal bellows.

"The Malaysian companies had many fruitful meetings and the generated sales value is six times more than the specialised mission held in conjunction with the World International Economic Forum we organised last year," said its Chief Executive Officer Datuk Zakaria Kamarudin.

KIOGE 2012 brought together 547 exhibitors from Azerbaijan, Belgium, United Kingdom, Hungary, Germany, Iran, Italy, Kazakhstan, Canada, China, Latvia, Malaysia, the Netherlands, Norway, the United Arab Emirates, Poland, Russia, Romania, Saudi Arabia, the United States, Turkey and France.

Meanwhile, Matrade Trade Advisor Dr Ali Sher said Malaysian companies should form a consortium in order to effectively compete and gain entry into the Kazakhstan market.

Malaysia signs oil & gas pact with Sri Lanka

MALAYSIA and Sri Lanka signed a strategic memorandum of understanding (MoU) on Thursday in the oil and gas sector, which will strengthen bilateral relations and fuel new investment opportunities. 

Malaysia High Commissioner to Sri Lanka Azmi Zainuddin said the MoU was signed between Malaysia Petroleum Resources Corp (MPRC) and Petroleum Resources Development Secretariat (PRDS) of Sri Lanka. 

MPRC is a government agency under the Prime Minister's Department, while PRDS is its counterpart in Sri Lanka. 

Azmi, however, dismissed suggestions that the signing of the MoU has got to do with the recent news reports that Petroliam Nasional Bhd (Petronas) is considering oil well exploration off the shores of Sri Lanka, possibly near the Palk Straits and the Mannar Basin bordering India and the island state. 

According to the reports, the government of Sri Lanka has invited Petronas, through the Malaysian government, to study and review the possibly of working together in exploiting oil and gas resources in the straits and the Mannar Basin. It is learnt that Petronas senior executives are preparing to hold preliminary talks with Sri Lanka officials. 

"We are aware that there was a news report published in the Daily Mirror of Sri Lanka a couple of days ago, quoting the Malaysian Reserve. 

"However, as far as the High Commission is aware, the MoU concluded on Thursday is not related to this development," Azmi said in a reply to Business Times query. 

Meanwhile, PRDC director general Saliya Wickramasuriya said the MoU between MPRC and PRDC will foster partnerships between Sri Lankan and Malaysian companies in the oil and gas sector. 

"We feel that MPRC can help Sri Lankan firms establish contacts and relationships that will help them in a new sector," he said. 

MPRC, formed in 2011, aims to position Malaysia to be the number oil and gas hub in Asia Pacific by 2017.

Alam Maritim secures RM69.22m charter contract

Alam Maritim Resources Bhd has secured a RM69.22mil contract to provide a workboat to a local oil and gas company.

It said on Thursday its unit Alam Maritim (M) Sdn Bhd had recently accepted the contract which was for a primary period of one year with an extension option for another year.

"The contract is for a value of up to RM69.22mil (if the client engages the workboat for the full duration, inclusive of the optional period)," it said.

Alam Maritim said the risks associated with the contract were mainly operational risks such as accidents and unexpected breakdown of vessels.

To mitigate the risks, it had developed a programme maintenance schedule according to the International Safety Management standards to maintain the performance and seaworthiness of all its vessels.

Sinopec to build US$850m oil storage in Batam, Indonesia

Asia's top refiner, China's Sinopec, has started work to build South-East Asia's largest oil storage terminal at the Batam free trade zone in Indonesia, the company and industry sources said, in an US$850mil investment aimed to boost petroleum trading.

Sinopec Kantons Holdings, a unit of the Sinopec Group, would hold a stake of 95% in the PT West Point Terminal project covering the construction of storage for up to 16 million barrels of crude and refined fuels, the company told the Hong Kong Exchange in a filing on Tuesday.

This would be Sinopec's first facility of such a size near Singapore, Asia's oil trading hub, where the Chinese refiner has established its presence over the past 15 years, trading refined products with a team of 50.

“It should boost Sinopec's trading opportunities and Singapore has run out of space to build such facilities,” said a crude oil trader based in Beijing who deals with Sinopec.

Sinopec's Asia crude teams are based in Beijing and Hong Kong.

“Sinopec has a trading presence in Singapore and I imagine having a storage terminal in Batam, bordering Singapore, would be used to support their trading activity in the region,” said Victor Shum, managing director at IHS Purvin and Gertz in Singapore. “I think the terminal has very little to do with energy security for China. It is a commercial decision.”

About 360ha in Batam's free trade zone had been set aside, with a refinery and petrochemical project being considered in the second phase of development, a source familiar with project details said.

Indonesian officials were not immediately available for comment.

“For the moment, the immediate priority is to get the storage facility built, the refining and petrochemical projects are not at the execution phase yet,” said a second industry official.

“This has been a project which they (Sinopec) had been thinking about for a while now Okay, at least two years in the making, this project is on a cluster of islands where some reclamation has taken place.” - Reuters

Keputusan permohonan beku TOL Lynas 8 Nov ini

Mahkamah Tinggi Kuantan menetapkan 8 November ini untuk keputusan permohonan pembekuan Lesen Operasi Sementara (TOL) kilang nadir bumi, Lynas Advanced Materials Plant (LAMP) di Gebeng, dekat sini.

Hakim Datuk Mariana Yahya memutuskan demikian atas alasan untuk meneliti secara terperinci tiga permohonan berkenaan TOL tersebut.

Permohonan tersebut membabitkan LAMP dan Lembaga Perlesenan Tenaga Atom (AELB) serta Kementerian Sains, Teknologi dan Inovasi (MOSTI) sebagai defendan dan penduduk Kuantan sebagai plaintif.

"Setelah mendengar hujah daripada ketiga-tiga pihak, saya menetapkan 8 November ini sebagai tarikh keputusan plaintif," katanya di Kuantan hari ini.

Penduduk Kuantan, yang diwakili Datuk Bastian Pius Vendargon, memohon supaya mahkamah membekukan TOL bagi menghentikan operasi LAMP. 

Sementara itu, pihak LAMP, yang diwakili oleh Tan Sri Cecil Abraham, memohon perubahan afidavit untuk menjadi defendan ketiga.

AELB dan MOSTI yang diwakili oleh Peguam Persekutuan Kanan, Datin Azizah Nawawi memohon supaya TOL tidak dibekukan dengan alasan penduduk Kuantan bakal dikenakan tindakan saman oleh LAMP.

Dalam pada itu, kira-kira 100 penyokong penduduk Kuantan berkumpul di perkarangan Kompleks Mahkamah Kuantan seawal pukul 7.30 pagi sambil memegang sepanduk masing-masing bagi menunggu keputusan permohonan berkenaan.

-Bernama

China's Oil Reserves Estimated At Over 88 Billion Tonnes

China estimates its oil reserves reached more than 88 billion tonnes after some 12 billion tonnes of crude oil has been discovered since 2008, according to the Ministry of Land and Resources.

The latest statistic showed the country's oil reserves, including about 23 billion tonnes of mineable reserves, have increased 15 per cent since 2003, China Daily reported.

China's oil discoveries have been increasing steadily in recent years as it has been ploughing its investment in oil and gas exploration, which rose from 19 billion yuan (US$3 billion) in 2002 to 67 billion yuan in 2011.

The new oil discoveries were mainly in six basins, including the offshore Bohai Bay, the Ordos Basin in the Inner Mongolia autonomous region, Sichuan, and the Beibu Gulf region, it said.

China alone accounted for 71 per cent of energy consumption growth last year, according to the BP Statistics Review of World Energy 2012.

Meanwhile, its natural gas reserves has increased 49 per cent to 52 trillion cubic metres compared with 2003, including 32 trillion cubic metres of mineable resources.

-- BERNAMA

Today's jobs update[10-Oct-12]

Group: Opportunities @ Oilfield-Workforce
Subject: Announcement from Opportunities @ Oilfield-Workforce

HOT JOBS: 
We are currently seeking INDONESIAN & MALAYSIAN personnel for the following positions for our Fabrication Yard/Offshore project for our MNC Client. Related experience required and preferred. 

- Site QA/QC Managers
- Site QC Welding Inspectors
- Site QC Coating Inspectors
- Site Planners/Planning Engineers
- Site HSE Advisors
- Site Administrators/Document Controllers
- Site Material Controllers

Interested applicants, please email your updated CV/resume in WORD Format to recruitment03@oilfield-workforce.com or call +65 90711116/+65 63910924 for inquiries and look for Francis Angeles, Recruitment Consultant

Only candidates with related experience will only be considered. 

Pirates attack German-owned ship off Togo: IMB

Pirates released a German-owned tanker off Togo on Friday, a day after capturing it, the International Maritime Bureau said as it warned of a rising number of attacks in the Gulf of Guinea.

Twelve pirates armed with guns boarded the Liberian-flagged tanker Thursday off Togo's capital of Lome on Africa's west coast, said Noel Choong, head of the IMB's piracy reporting centre.

Keeping the crew under gun threat, they transferred the tanker's gas oil to their bunker barge and ransacked the ship. They later locked the crew in the master's cabin and stole their personal belongings before abandoning the ship.

There were no casualties among the 14 crew members, but a few of them had "light injuries", Choong said.

The number of attacks in the Gulf off Guinea now stands at 43 attacks this year and have been on the rise recently, Choong said.

Those include several hijackings, kidnappings and killings. Pirates usually target fuel cargo, loading it onto other ships to sell on the lucrative black market.

The Malaysia-based centre has repeatedly warned ships plying the area to be vigilant and called on authorities to step up patrols, last year saying the region was emerging as a new piracy "hot spot".

Piracy has long been a problem off Nigeria, Africa's largest oil producer and most populous nation, but it has now spread to neighbouring nations.

Majority of Malaysians unhappy in workplace

More than three quarters of Malaysians are unhappy with their current jobs, a survey from Southeast Asia's largest online employment company show.

JobStreet.com, which also has the largest online database of fresh graduate resumes in Malaysia, said that its survey showed that the majority of Malaysians are a unhappy lot at work, due to the scope of the work.

According to the survey titled 'Employee Job Satisfaction in Malaysia', some 78 per cent of the respondents, were unhappy at the workplace.

Suprisingly, the survey showed only 17 per cent of the 1,145 respondents survey had indicated a low salary as their source of unhapiness.

Although, salary was not the major factor in influencing happiness at work, only a mere 11 per cent of the respondents felt they earned a good income.

The 22 per cent of the respondents who are happy at work, said that there were three core factors which helped influence their happiness.

The survey also showed, 50 per cent of them claimed to enjoy their working experience and working challenges, 21 per cent were happy with bosses who appreciated and valued their output, while 19 per cent did so because of the friendship with colleagues.

Overall, the employees agreed that the ultimate change to determine their well-being at work, would need to include opportunities for career development and also work-life balance in the company.

If these needs are not met, the majority (62 per cent) said they would find another job to restore the happiness at work.

A total of 1,145 employees participated in the survey conducted by JobStreet.com last month.

20 Per Cent Of Petronas Staff Are Sabah, Sarawak Bumiputera

About 20 per cent of the 25,463 employees of Petronas Nasional Berhad (Petronas) currently are Sabah and Sarawak bumiputera, the Dewan Rakyat was told today.

Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Tan Sri Nor Mohamed Yakcop said efforts were always made by the government to create more opportunities for the Sabah and Sarawak bumiputera, especially the young people, to get better jobs, including important posts in Petronas.

"It is the government's intention to appoint as many as possible the Sabah and Sarawak bumiputera, regardless their religion, to hold important posts not just at Petronas, but also other government agencies.

"It is because of that, opportunities for employment, training in technical field are provided for them," he said in response to a supplementary question by Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing (BN-Bintulu) on the chances of the Sabah and Sarawak people to hold important posts in Petronas.

Nor Mohamed, who is Tasek Gelugor Member of Parliament, said the training programmes included 'Peneraju Skil-Jurukimpal' carried out under Yayasan Peneraju, where participants could obtain international certification and job in oil and gas welding with income of almost RM9,000 a month.

The government, he said, had also discussed with Petronas to ensure a large portion of the contract, involving high-technology, to be given to the Sabah and Sarawak bumiputera.

-- BERNAMA

Gadang's Unit Wins Petronas Contract

Gadang Holdings Bhd's whollyowned subsidiary, Gadang Engineering (M) Sdn Bhd, has won a Petronas contract to undertake phase 1 site preparation work for the proposed Refinery and Petrochemical Integrated Development (RAPID) Project package 1 in Pengerang.

The contract, expected to be completed by Dec 31 next year, would contribute positively to group earnings for the financial years ending May 31, 2013 and 2014, it said in a filing to Bursa Malaysia today.

-- BERNAMA

Court keeps Lynas operating licence on hold

The Kuantan High Court kept on hold the licence granted to Lynas Corp Ltd’s controversial rare earth plant by delaying until October 10 a decision on whether it will consider judicial reviews to permanently block production.
The Australian company said that the High Court’s decision leaves the temporary operating licence suspended until October 10, extending a one-week halt that expired today.

The rare earth plant — the biggest outside China — has been ready to fire up since early May, but the company has been embroiled in environmental and safety disputes with local residents since construction began two years ago.

The plant is considered important to breaking China’s grip on the processing of rare earths, which are used in products ranging from smartphones to hybrid cars.

Activists linked to the environmental group Save Malaysia Stop Lynas, who had asked for the postponement, want the court to suspend the temporary licence until two judicial review cases challenging the government’s decision allowing the plant to operate are heard.

“We’re staying optimistic,” Tan Bun Teet, a spokesman for the group, told Reuters after the court decision.

“The court has set an early hearing for October 10 and it looks like they want to resolve it quickly,” he added.

The group’s previous attempts to stop the plant had failed.

Lynas received a temporary operating licence for the long-delayed US$800 million (RM2.5 billion) rare earth plant early in September, enabling it to start production as early as October.

Protests over possible radioactive residue have drawn thousands of people and the project has become a hot topic ahead of an election that must be held by early next year. — Reuters

5 dead in fire at Indonesia oil pipeline, output unaffected

Five people died when a crude oil pipeline caught fire as it was being looted in Indonesia's Sumatra island early on Wednesday but production was not affected, state energy company Pertamina EP said.

Eighteen people suffered burn injuries in the fire, which was brought under control by midday. Pertamina said it was investigating the incident and that PVC pipe, which is evidence of theft, was found at the scene.

"Our Tempino-Plaju pipeline caught fire at 1006 .... It did not catch fire because the pipe exploded but our pipe was being tapped illegally. Oil was being stolen by the community. Someone was smoking there and it caught fire," Pertamina EP public relations manager Agus Amperianto.

Losses from looting have increased since mid-2012 and amounted to 29,000 barrels in September alone, Pertamina said, adding that nearly 250,000 barrels have been stolen since May.

Petronas in talks with Singapore's Keppel on Pengerang power plant

Petroliam Nasional Bhd (Petronas) and Singapore's Keppel Corp are in negotiations to build a planned power plant in Pengerang, Johor, sources close to Petronas told, confirming an earlier report by Singapore's Straits Times.

The power plant both parties will build is aimed at supplying electricity to industries at Petronas' planned RM60bil refinery and petrochemical integrated development (RAPID) petrochemical complex in Pengerang, as well as into the Singapore power grid.

“Petronas' talks with Keppel follows from their acquisition of a 30% stake in Singapore power company GMR Energy, to ultimately participate in the dynamic power supply system in Singapore, aside from powering' up RAPID,” said one source.

Last September, Petronas purchased a 30% stake in GMR Energy Singapore Pte Ltd, which is developing an 800MW combined-cycle gas-turbine power plant on Jurong island, Singapore.

The Singapore Straits Times report stated that Keppel might get a 30% stake in the 1,200MW plant that would be part of Petronas's RAPID project in Pengerang. Petronas has yet to respond to queries from StarBiz on this deal.

If and when the Petronas-Keppel joint venture goes through, it would mark the first time a Malaysian-based power plant supplies power into Singapore as well as the first time for a Singapore entity to invest in the Malaysian power sector.

A power sector professional told StarBiz that it only made sense for Petronas to seek to sell power to Singapore from its planned power plant in Pengerang.

“It doesn't make sense to just produce enough power for industrial demands in Pengerang. It is also better to build a larger plant than a smaller one, to achieve economy of scale' benefits and to ensure there's a sufficient buffer.

“It then also makes sense for the balance electricity to be sold into the Singapore grid, which has a very dynamic price discovery system,” the expert said.

Although more known for its shipbuilding prowess, the choice of Keppel as a partner for Petronas is not surprising.

A unit of Keppel Corp, Keppel Energy has a track record in developing, owning and operating power plants in Brazil, China, the Philippines and Nicaragua.

In Singapore, Keppel Energy operates a 500MW gas-fired combined-cycle power plant on Jurong Island that commenced operations in 2007. In 2010, work began to expand the Jurong plant's capacity to 800MW.

Since 2000, Keppel Energy has had a licence to participate in the Singapore electricity market.

Keppel Energy has also had a past relationship with Petronas, having a long-term natural gas supply deal with the latter since 2004.

Petronas is in the power sector in Malaysia via investments in the Kimanis power plant and the proposed Lahad Datu power plant in Sabah.

The Kimanis plant is jointly developed by Petronas Gas Bhd in partnership with Yayasan Sabah through NRG Consortium (Sabah) Sdn Bhd.

Meanwhile, the Lahad Datu plant is being built by a Tenaga Nasional Bhd-led consortium together with Petronas and a Sabah state entity. - The Star

Royalti: Mahkamah Persekutuan benar Kelantan merayu

Mahkamah Persekutuan semalam membuat keputusan membenarkan Kerajaan Negeri Kelantan mengemukakan rayuan terhadap tiga tuntutan yang ditolak Mahkamah Rayuan sebelum ini.

Tuntutan itu adalah memohon agar mahkamah menolak permohonan Kerajaan Persekutuan sebagai pencelah serta memohon mahkamah menolak permohonan Petronas membatalkan saman kerajaan negeri. 

Satu lagi tuntutan adalah memohon penzahiran dokumen keputusan penyelesaian kes saman Kerajaan Terengganu terhadap Petronas sebelum ini.

Keputusan itu dibuat oleh panel lima hakim yang mendengar kes itu kira-kira jam 9 pagi ini.

Terdahulu, pasukan Konvoi Royalti Kelantan tiba di hadapan Istana Kehakiman Putrajaya seawal jam 7.30 pagi ini bagi mendengar keputusan hari ini.

Mereka malam tadi berhimpun di Dataran Shah Alam dalam program Ceramah Mega Royalti yang dihadiri pimpinan utama Pakatan Rakyat termasuk Menteri Besar Tuan Guru Datuk Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat, Presiden PAS Datuk Seri Tuan Guru Abdul Hadi Awang serta Ketua Pembangkang Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.

Tinjauan Harakahdaily pagi ini mendapati hampir 600 orang dengan berpakaian merah bertulis 'Tuntut Royalti', dan 'R' berkumpul di pekarangan bangunan mahkamah.

Turut hadir Timbalan Menteri Besar Kelantan Datuk Ahmad Yakub, Pengerusi Jawatankuasa Tuntutan Royalti Kelantan, Datuk Husam Musa, Datuk Takiyuddin Hassan, Datuk Abdul Fatah Mahmod, Datuk Anwar Tan, Dr Mohd Fadhli Hassan, Baihaqi Atiqullah, Che Abdullah Mat Nawi, Wan Ubaidah Wan Omar dan kepimpinan yang lain.

Bercakap kepada peserta konvoi di luar mahkamah selepas itu, Husam berkata keputusan hari ini memberi petanda awal bahawa 'pintu gol lawan sudah ditembusi'.

"Kita bukan sahaja bagi hak kepada Petronas hisap minyak, tetapi juga mebuat explorasi telaga baru.

"Tuan rumah masih kerajaan negeri, Petronas hanya pekerja upahan kita. Bila kita mintak, dia kata tak boleh bagi. Ini bagi kita tak logik," katanya.

Beliau juga berkata, kerajaan negeri tidak akan sesekali akan berkompromi dalam isu ini dan menolak cubaan membayar sebahagian sahaja wang royalti iaitu RM300 juta setahun untuk Blok PM301 tanpa sebarang tunggakan.

"Kita nak kesemua bayaran untuk keempat-empat telaga kita dengan jumlah tunggakan RM10.4 bilion," tegasnya. 

Sementara itu, Pengerusi 'R' Nazri Deraman berkata, pihaknya juga akan menyerahkan refrendum 150,000 tandatangan rakyat Kelantan ke Pejabat Perdana Menteri Datuk Seri Najib Razak petang ini.

Selain itu, konvoi R juga katanya akan berhenti di bangunan Petronas KLCC utnuk menyerahkan memorandum tuntutan royalti kepada pihak itu.

Loji nuklear belum ada keputusan

Kerajaan masih belum membuat keputusan muktamad mengenai pelaksanaan projek pembinaan loji jana kuasa nuklear ataupun lokasi tapaknya, kata Perdana Menteri, Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak.

Beliau berkata, aktiviti yang dilaksanakan sekarang hanya tertumpu kepada kajian-kajian terperinci untuk mengenal pasti pelbagai keperluan dan persediaan awal negara sekiranya projek tersebut dilaksanakan.

''Aktiviti-aktiviti tersebut adalah seperti yang telah dibukukan dan diumumkan dalam Program Transformasi Ekonomi.

''Tujuan kajian ini dilaksanakan adalah untuk memastikan semua aspek persediaan diambil kira secara terperinci dan komprehensif sekiranya penjanaan kuasa nuklear diperlukan bagi memenuhi permintaan tenaga negara pada masa depan," katanya dalam jawapan bertulis kepada soalan Sim Tong Him (DAP-Kota Melaka) pada sidang Dewan Rakyat hari ini.

Tong Him meminta Perdana Menteri menyatakan tentang kedudukan terkini projek pembinaan loji tenaga nuklear termasuk dari segi persediaan serta lokasi yang dicadangkan.

Sementara itu, beliau memberitahu, kajian menyeluruh tentang kesediaan perundangan dan kawal selia nuklear negara sedang dilaksanakan dan dijangka siap pada awal tahun 2013.

Jelasnya, untuk kajian terperinci bagi mengenal pasti tapak yang sesuai untuk pembinaan loji jana kuasa nuklear, kriteria pemilihan nanti adalah mengikut syor daripada Agensi Tenaga Atom Antarabangsa.

''Perundangan dan peraturan negara juga akan dipatuhi termasuk dari segi Penilaian Impak Alam Sekitar, Penilaian Impak Radiologi, Penilaian Impak Sosial dan Penilaian Impak Kesihatan.

''Bagaimanapun kini hanya kajian pemilihan tapak yang berdasarkan pelbagai peta digital sahaja telah dijalankan tanpa sebarang kerja lapangan," katanya.