Thailand’s national upstream company PTTEP is set within days to start drilling a second appraisal well on its Lang Lebah giant sour gas discovery offshore Malaysia, which the company is aiming to exploit via a multibillion-dollar development incorporating carbon capture and storage.
PTTEP is scheduled to begin operations at the Lang Lebah-3 well on Block SK 410B offshore Sarawak, East Malaysia, on 17 September with the drilling campaign set to last until 31 January, according to the Malaysia Coast Guard.
Upstream understands that the operator is still on track to later this year take the final investment decision for Lang Lebah, and that the second appraisal well — even if it is not completed until early 2024 — will not derail this timeline.
Vessels on call
Noble Drilling’s jack-up rig Noble Tom Prosser has been lined up for the Lang Lebah-3 well, and the drilling campaign will be supported by three Malaysia-flagged vessels — Sealink 178, Bahtera Hamos and Intan Ratu.
PTTEP’s plans to exploit the offshore sour gas field, which hosts to about 6 trillion to 7 trillion cubic feet of gas resources, focus on a central processing platform with nameplate capacity of 1.65 billion cubic feet per day of gas plus two wellhead platforms and a flare platform.
The offshore facilities front-end engineering and design work is being performed by the pairing of Worley and Ranhill Utilities while Technip Energies is the onshore FEED contractor.
Produced gas will flow via a 42-inch diameter trunkline to a new onshore gas plant for treatment before it is ultimately used as feed at the Petronas LNG Complex at Bintulu, Sarawak.
PTTEP operates the Block SK 410B production sharing contract with a 42.5% interest on behalf of partners Kufpec on 42.5% and Petronas Carigali with 15%.
Prior to spudding the Lang Lebah-3 well, the Noble Tom Prosser will complete operations at PTTEP’s Babadon-1 wildcat on Block SK 438, also offshore Sarawak, which is being drilled as a tight hole.
* Updated to clarify that PTTEP does not intend to defer FID for Lang Lebah until after completion of the Lang Lebah-3 well.
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