Japanese Firms to Study CO2-Rich Gas Fields in Malaysia

JX Nippon Oil & Gas Exploration Corporation (JX), in collaboration with Japan Oil, Gas and Metals National Corporation (Jogmec), has inked a study agreement with Petronas on developing Malaysian gas fields using carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology, it said March 25.

The study will focus on the development of gas fields containing large quantities of CO₂ in Malaysia, which are considered economically difficult to develop because of the cost of handling the associated CO₂.

“We will conduct the study by leveraging both JX and Jogmec's knowledge and experiences to pursue the possibility of commercialisation of the project in the future and aim to develop environment-friendly gas fields development method by capturing CO₂ contained in the produced gas and reinjecting them to the nearby mature gas fields,” JX said.

If the development of CO₂-rich gas fields is confirmed by the study to be feasible, JX intends to exploit them using CCS technology to mitigate the environmental impact. The study also looks at the feasibility of developing supply chains for hydrogen produced from the fields, the company said.