Qatari firm gets green light for $5bn Malaysia project

by This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it on Tuesday, 29 April 2008

GREEN LIGHT: Gulf Petroleum has secured approval to develop an oil and gas complex in Malaysia. (Getty Images)

Qatar-based Gulf Petroleum has secured regulatory approvals to develop a $5 billion oil and petchem complex in the northern Malaysian state of Perak, the official Bernama news agency said on Monday.

Gulf Petroleum is leading a consortium of Gulf banking and energy firms to build the complex an oil refinery, a petrochemicals plant and storage facilities - intended to serve as a regional hub for its Asia-Pacific activities.

Malaysia's International Trade and Industry Ministry gave the approvals on Friday, Bernama quoted Gulf Petroleum as saying in a statement.

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Gulf Petroleum's shareholders include members of the Qatar royal family, the Qatar General Insurance and Reinsurance Company, Al-Mana Group, National Petroleum Group and the banking arm of Al-Sari group, Gulf Petroleum said last month.

It aims to invest between $1.5 billion and $2 billion in the project's first phase to build an oil refinery of capacity between 100,000-150,000 barrels per day (bpd), the firm has said.

Separate investments estimated at $1.5 billion to $2 billion will be allocated for the petrochemical project and about $1 billion for the storage facilities, it said.

At least two Middle East national companies will participate in the project, along with major energy, banking and insurance groups from Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Oman, Bahrain, the UAE and Egypt, the company said.

Qatar is the world's top producer of liquefied petroleum gas with the single largest non-associated gas reservoir in the world - about 900 trillion cubic feet of total recoverable gas from the giant North Field covering an area of 6,000 square kilometres. (Reuters)