PETRONAS has made two gas discoveries in the Kasawari and NC8SW fields in Block SK316 offshore Sarawak via exploration wells Kasawari-1 and NC8SW-1.

The Kasawari-1 well was drilled in November 2011 and found gas in the carbonate reservoirs. The well, drilled to a total depth of 3,196 metres, penetrated about 1,000 metres of gas column -- the longest drilled section of gas column in Malaysia.

Preliminary assessments carried out in early February 2012 indicate that gas-in-place for the Kasawari field is over five trillion standard cubic feet (TSCF) with estimated recoverable hydrocarbon resource of just over three TSCF, making it one of the largest non-associated gas fields in Malaysia. The well-test conducted produced 29 million standard cubic feet per day (mmscfd) of gas.

The NC8SW-1 well is located approximately 17km south of Kasawari and was drilled in September 2011 to a total depth of 3,853 metres and found gas in a 440-metre column in similar carbonate reservoirs.

The recoverable resource for the NC8SW field is estimated at more than 450 billion standard cubic feet of gas.

The NC8SW-1 well also discovered potential oil play which requires further assessment to determine its commercial viability.

Kasawari-1 and NC8SW-1 are the latest wells drilled in Block SK316 and the gas discoveries are a direct result of PETRONAS' strategy to intensify domestic exploration and have enhanced the prospect of the gas play in Sarawak. More activities in the area targeting similar objectives are in the pipeline.

For 2012, PETRONAS and its production sharing contractors are planning to drill 30 exploration wells to further enhance the prospect of Malaysia's basin. - Bernama