KUALA LUMPUR: The pipeline leak which caused Petroliam Nasional Bhd (Petronas) to declare a safety shutdown on the gas supply was due to soil movement.
Petronas in a statement yesterday said the leak occurred in the vicinity of KP201, along the Sabah-Sarawak Gas Pipeline (SSGP), on Sept 21.
"This has impacted the supply of gas to MLNG Dua's production facility at Petronas LNG Complex (PLC) in Bintulu, Sarawak.
"Petronas wishes to clarify that the Force Majeure affects the supply of gas to MLNG Dua's production facility only, while the other LNG production facilities within the PLC continue to operate as planned.
It also said that discussions to identify suitable mitigation efforts are in order.
"Petronas is currently conducting a comprehensive evaluation of the SSGP to ensure the integrity and safety of the pipeline.
"Petronas is mindful that this incident has impacted its delivery commitments to some of its contracted Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) buyers," it said.
On Thursday, Ba'Kelalan assemblyman Baru Bian demanded that Petronas verify the latest leak involving the Sarawak-Sabah gas pipeline that occurred near Pa Beruntut, Lawas.
He said in a statement on Facebook, four other leaks had taken place between 2014 and 2020 along the pipeline in Long Sukang, near SK Long Sukang, Long Segaman and Long Kawah.
He suggested that the 512 km pipeline, running from Kimanis in Sabah to Bintulu in Sarawak, should be shut down permanently.
This was due to safety concerns as many populated settlements were located along the pipeline route.