KOTA KINABALU: Sabah’s gas production is set to nearly double by 2030, rising from 700 million standard cubic feet per day (MMscfd) to 1,350 MMscfd across seven offshore development projects, announced Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor.
The four-year expansion plan involves four new gas fields developed by two international and four Malaysian oil companies. It aims to support the state’s industrial growth and long-term energy demands.
"The strategy provides a clear delivery plan to secure the gas supply required to support Sabah’s industrialisation ambitions," Hajiji said on Friday (Sept 18) following the handover of the Long-Term Gas Supply and Delivery Plan 2025 and the Sabah East Coast Gas Development Plan reports. The studies were jointly conducted by SMJ Energy and PETRONAS.
The boosted output will power PETRONAS' third floating liquefied natural gas facility (PFLNG3), supply new power plants, and fuel industrial corridors across the West Coast—including Kota Kinabalu Industrial Park (KKIP), the Kimanis terminal (SOGT), Sipitang (SOGIP), and Labuan.
Crucially, the plans confirm that the offshore Mutiara cluster near Sandakan will be developed to supply a new gas-fired power plant at the Sawit Kinabalu Sandakan Industrial Park and transition Sabah Electricity's Batu Sapi station from diesel to gas.
This marks the first time Sabah's East Coast will generate its own gas-fired power, reducing reliance on West Coast transmission and opening the region to gas-based industrial ventures.
