KUALA LUMPUR: Petroliam Nasional Bhd (PETRONAS) aims to sustain Malaysia’s oil and gas production at two million barrels of oil equivalent per day or mmboe/d through 2028, says president and group chief executive officer Tan Sri Tengku Muhammad Taufik Tengku Aziz.
He said the target would be anchored in continued investment across exploration, deep-water development, and enhanced recovery from PETRONAS’ producing fields.
“Holding that line, however, has meant finding new ways to work with partners rather than just relying on old formulas. Our own experience with Searah Ltd, the regional venture with Eni, reflects that shift.
“It is built not simply around sharing leadership, but also combining capital, technical expertise and taking risks together to pursue opportunities at a scale neither partner would have done alone,” he said in his keynote address at the opening ceremony of Oil and Gas Asia (OGA) 2026 yesterday.
Across its portfolio, Tengku Muhammad Taufik said the national oil company is applying the same approach through partnerships, technical collaborations and alternative commercial structures tailored to the circumstances of individual opportunities.
He noted that the best outcomes have come from combining PETRONAS’ existing knowledge and capabilities with those of equally capable partners amid an increasingly daunting operating environment.
Tengku Muhammad Taufik said the same principle should extend beyond operators to the entire oil and gas services and equipment (OGSE) ecosystem, which has built considerable capabilities over four decades of operating in Malaysia.
“The strength that you have built needs a much wider stage.
“A much wider stage than the one that you have traditionally competed in,” he added.
However, he cautioned that succeeding on a bigger stage would require more than technical competence, with OGSE players needing significantly higher productivity, stronger financial resilience, greater digital maturity and sound governance to be regarded as trusted partners.
“More importantly, you must also have the conviction to invest ahead of this demand. Are we collectively connected enough, capable enough, competitive enough?” he asked.
Tengku Muhammad Taufik said competitiveness should not be measured merely by a company’s ability to win its next tender under favourable market conditions, but by whether it can remain relevant over the next decade as technology, workforce requirements, and the industry’s capital landscape evolve. — Bernama
