Petronas officially started drilling for oil in Brunei waters near the Sarawak-Brunei border boundary on a joint-production basis with PetroleumBRUNEI (PB).
Petronas also secured a US$1.6bil (RM4.8bil) project in Brunei to construct a petrochemical processing plant.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak, who announced this at a press conference here yesterday, said Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah had agreed that Petronas undertake these huge projects with PB.
“The Brunei Government has agreed that Petronas will start drilling for oil in the CA1 and CA2 areas and in Block M, which is outside CA1 and CA2.
“The Sultan has also agreed that Petronas start a petrochemical plant on a 60ha site in Pulau Muara Besar inside Brunei, together with PetroleumBRUNEI.
“That project will be worth US$1.6bil.
“Petronas will also start a fabrication yard in Brunei.
“These are among the various new milestones Malaysia and Brunei have achieved,” he added.
Najib said the new petrochemical plant would result in the creation of at least 650 jobs, adding that Sarawak was looking into ways to sell and channel electricity into Brunei.
He said Malaysia and Brunei had also agreed to speedily resolve issues of fishermen encroaching into each country's territorial waters in the South China Sea.
Yesterday saw the start of construction of a RM25mil transboundary bridge across Sungai Pandaruan to link Brunei's Temburong district with Limbang district in northernmost Sarawak.
Works Minister Datuk Shaziman Mansor, Sarawak Public Utilities Minister Datuk Amar Awang Tengah Ali Hassan and their Brunei counterparts were at the site to witness the groundbreaking ceremony.
