KOTA KINABALU: A Canadian petroleum company, Talisman Malaysia Limited, will commence exploration drilling programme in Sabah waters in April.
Speaking to the guest of mostly journalists at Talisman Malaysia-Sabah media get together programme here on Tuesday night, senior vice president-cum-country general manager Ron Aston said that the company will be exploring on the blocs SB309 and SB310 after getting its licence in 2009.
He added that in May last year the company was awarded the Kinabalu Oil Production Sharing Contract (PSC) for the continued development and recovery from the Kinabalu Field which had previously been operated by Shell.
Under the terms of the PSC, Talisman and PETRONAS CARIGALI are committed to investing around US$1 billion on the field through an extensive programme of rejuvenation and redevelopment aimed at fully realising the recovery potential of the field.
The company is currently producing 7,500 barrels of petroleum daily since beginning its operation on the field on December 26, 2012.
According to Aston, Talisman is committed in providing employment opportunities to the locals in all the locations it operates in.
“In Malaysia, the majority of our workforce consists of Malaysians, including Sabahans. We will shortly open an office in the KK Times Square with an interior built by a local contractor and we will engage local companies to provide support services to run that office,” he said.
Aston also explained that the company will participate in Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programmes in the State, focusing on three key pillars, namely education, the environment and health & well-being.
He said that under the company’s scholarship program from 2008 through to 2014, Talisman Malaysia will award almost US$0.5 million to the best and brightest engineering and geology students from across Malaysia at a number of prestigious universities in Peninsular Malaysia.
He continued that on the environment, Talisman Malaysia has contributed almost RM400,000 to the Malaysian Nature Society to facilitate Environmental Monitoring for Marine & Coastal Ecosystems in Terengganu and in Sabah.
“The project is designed to empower local stakeholders to monitor the condition of coastal ecosystems within their surrounding area. They are trained to undertake monitoring activities using simple monitoring methods in order to understand the state of these ecosystems over time,” he said adding that in the future, Talisman will work with local NGOs in its CSR programme.
Aston also said that the company is also committed to engaging with local stakeholders to undertake projects aimed at enhancing not just the economic but also the physical well-being of the communities it interfaces with.
Also present were Petronas Sabah & Labuan head of region office Julita Ontol and president of Sabah Journalists Association Datuk Joniston Bangkuai.
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