Abang Johari has also questioned the validity of the 1974 Petroleum Development Act which was passed by Parliament during the Emergency Proclamation period from 1969 to 2011.
The Emergency Proclamation was abolished in 2011. In his Christmas message, Abang Johari said Petros would soon be given another task — to manage domestic gas business now placed under Petronas. In the next few years, he expects to see a wider involvement of Petros as more investments are expected to be poured into the oil & gas as well as petrochemical industries in Sarawak.
State-owned Sarawak Petchem Sdn Bhd is currently constructing a mega methanol plant in Bintulu which is expected to come on stream in 2023. With an estimated investment of some RM8 billion, the plant will have a production capacity of about 1.7 million tonnes per annum. When operational, Sarawak becomes the first state in Malaysia besides Petronas to own a methanol plant.
In Lawas, Beijing Beca Sci-Tech Co Ltd plans to invest up to US$5bil in an integrated petrochemical complex and the company has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on the project with the state government six months ago. PIXX: Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad (centre), flanked by Abang Johari (left) and Sabah’s Chief minister Datuk Seri Panglima mohd Shafie Apdal, in a tripartite discussion on issues relating to Sarawak and Sabah’s rights on oil and gas resources at the Prime minister’s Office in Putrajaya.
