US oil giant Exxon Mobil Corp’s subsidiary, ExxonMobil Exploration and Production Malaysia Inc (EMEPMI) will focus on completing the commissioning of the remaining turbo-compressors at its new Guntong E platform this year as part of its aim to meet the growing demand for gas in the country.

“We have started operations on the Guntong E gas compression platform of the first of three turbo-compressors to capture incremental gas sales and liquid production,” general manager (operations) Zainal Abidin Jalil told StarBiz.

“Our focus is to complete the commissioning of the remaining turbo-compressors before year-end. This will bring Guntong D and E’s combined gas handling capacity to more than 800 million cubic feet of gas per day,” he said.

The company had on July 14 announced that it started operations at its Guntong E gas compression platform in a move to help meet the high demand for gas in the country.

Guntong E was developed under the Gas Production Sharing Contract between EMEPMI and Petronas Carigali Sdn Bhd. Both hold a 50% participating interest each, in the contract.

Located about 210km off the east coast of Peninsular Malaysia, the facility consists of an eight-leg jacket and six modules for gas receiving, separation, dehydration and compression.

Guntong E is connected to EMEPMI’s existing Guntong D gas compression platform via a bridge.

Zainal said the Guntong Hub would provide the compression needs for existing and future developments, including non-associated gas developments from the Tabu and Tapis fields.

“The Guntong Hub development will involve new drill wells, satellite platforms and new pipelines,” Zainal said, adding that the Guntong E project would enable EMEPMI to embark on several future gas resource development commitments under the gas production-sharing contract with Petronas.

Designed and constructed in Malaysia, the Guntong E platform is one of the largest commissioned by the company, weighing 17,800 tonnes. The fabrication of the platform began in April 2004, and installation was completed in October last year.

There are more than 200 workers on the platform, according to Zainal, adding that it was equipped with comfortable living quarters and catering services to meet the needs of all.

EMEPMI operates in 17 oil producing fields in the country and has 42 offshore platforms to-date, with the first one established in 1978.

On how much it takes to maintain all its offshore platforms, Zainal said EMEPMI spent US$180mil to operate and maintain its production operations last year.

Over the last 25 years, ExxonMobil subsidiaries in Malaysia have chalked up total investments of US$13bil in upstream and downstream businesses.

“This had not only created direct jobs in our own operations, but many more in the service and manufacturing sectors that support our operations.

“Our upstream business activities have resulted in a significant transfer of technologies to our local workforce, contractors and vendors. Today, these local companies have become globally competitive and have won overseas jobs,” he added.

Zainal said the company’s upstream business began operations here in the late 1970s with around 300 expatriates. “Almost all of these positions have been nationalised. Today, there are only around 20 expatriates in Malaysia who are employed for their specific experience and for building local expertise,” he added.

“Some of the project development and production operation work practices developed over the last 20 years in Malaysia have become the best practices that are now used in ExxonMobil’s operations in other parts of the world,” Zainal said.

He said as a multinational corporation, the company also placed a lot of emphasis on training and had allocated some US$5mil for it this year, compared with US$3mil last year.

“This year, we recruited more than 100 new trainee technicians who will have to complete a two-year training programme before they are certified competent to work in our production operations,” Zainal added.

On research and development (R&D) activities, he said they were undertaken at the company’s headquarters in the US. “About US$600mil is spent on R&D every year.”

Zainal believes that the oil & gas sector in Malaysia is experiencing a high level of work activities, resulting in higher costs of goods and services across the industry.

“As a production-sharing contractor to Petronas and a partner to Petronas Carigali Sdn Bhd, ExxonMobil continues to work closely with the national oil company to meet Malaysia’s energy needs and aspirations,” he said. (source news : biz.thestar.com.my)

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