KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia, Oct. 31 (UPI) -- Malaysian energy company Petronas said Thursday it made new discoveries of natural gas in Malaysia, Indonesia and Australia.
Petronas said it confirmed a natural gas discovery off the coast of Sarawak, a state on the island of Borneo. While working with its Malaysian affiliate, Mubadala Petroleum, the company said it encountered a gas column measuring 810 feet while drilling in shallow waters.
The U.S. Energy Information Administration says Malaysia holds the third-largest deposits of natural gas in the region. More than half of its estimated 83 trillion cubic feet of proven natural gas reserves are off Sarawak
Through its work with PetroChina, the company said it made a "significant" natural gas discovery while drilling onshore in Sumatra, Indonesia. The Malaysian company said Thursday it encountered more than 3,200 feet of natural gas.
Indonesia has struggled to expand oil and natural gas production because of aging infrastructure. The EIA, the analytical arm of the U.S. Energy Department, said the country boasts 141 trillion cubic feet of proven natural gas reserves.
In Australia, the company said it produced 30 million cubic feet of natural gas during a test of the Evans Shoal North-1 appraisal in the Timor Sea. Petronas is working at the Evans Shoal prospect alongside Italian energy company Eni. Eni estimates the Evans Shoal gas field contains at least 8 trillion cubic feet of natural gas in place.
