KUALA LUMPUR (Dec 7): Petroliam Nasional Bhd's (Petronas) wholly-owned subsidiary Petronas Carigali Sdn Bhd has discovered oil and gas at the Nahara-1 well in Block SK306, located in the shallow waters of the Balingian province about 150km from Bintulu, off the coast of Sarawak.

Petronas Carigali is the operator of the block, with 100% participating interest in its production sharing contract.

In a statement on Wednesday (Dec 7), the state-owned oil company noted the Nahara-1 well was successfully drilled to a total depth of 2,468 metres, and encountered hydrocarbon in the late oligocene to middle miocene aged sedimentary sequences. 

Additionally, light oil with minimal contaminants was also established after production testing was conducted for the well.

Petronas vice-president of exploration Mohd Redhani Abdul Rahman said the discovery also reinforces Petronas Carigali’s current exploration strategy of renewing focus on its exploration efforts in Malaysia’s basins.

“We are excited with this discovery and its impact on future exploration efforts in the surrounding areas. 

“Nahara-1 is a significant oil discovery by Petronas Carigali within the last decade. It is a testament to the vast potential in Malaysia’s prolific basins, which remain highly prospective,” he said.