KUALA LUMPUR: Sarawak Shell Bhd (SSB), through its Gorek field under the SK408 Production Sharing Contract (PSC) has achieved its first gas production on May 24, 2020.
SSB said the first gas was delivered ahead of the committed timeline, despite the significant impact to the mobilisation of resources and construction and commissioning crew during the Movement Control Order (MCO) due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
"This success is a result of the excellent collaboration between our key stakeholders, Petronas and SK408 PSC partners – SapuraOMV Upstream and Petronas Carigali Sdn Bhd, contractors, vendors and various support teams within Shell, led by the Gorek project team.
"This achievement commemorates the 110th anniversary of our Upstream business, here in Malaysia this year," said Shell Malaysia Upstream vice president Ivan Tan.
Tan said the Gorek project team has prioritised the health and safety of its staff and contractors in the delivery of this milestone with a zero-injury record, amid a challenging time due to the ongoing crisis.
Tan said the project team applied innovative solutions to come up with a cost-competitive development with the fastest Shell Malaysia Upstream operated field brought on stream from the point of discovery.
Gorek field is produced through the most cost competitive, big bore high rate carbonate wells, ever drilled in Sarawak.
It was also the first fully solar powered wellhead platform in Shell Malaysia Upstream's portfolio.
The Shell-operated Gorek field under SK408 PSC was the second of three fields in the sequence of SK408 Larak, Gorek and Bakong field development projects.
SapuraOMV is the operator of Larak and Bakong fields under the same SK408 PSC. The Gorek wellhead platform is located 145km offshore Malaysia with water depth of 88m. All three fields are tied back to an existing Shell-operated facility.
Shell Malaysia said it was proud of its history in Malaysia, particularly in Sarawak, citing that it would continue to innovate and develop with its key stakeholders, to drive the socio-economic development of the nation and the state.
The company said was also driven to continue contributing to the local talent pipeline, while playing its part in contributing towards the communities and the society through its various flagship social investment activities.