00:00And we have our own company, owned 100% by the government, so we will do the function of gas aggregator.
00:08A great deal has been said about Sarawas oil and gas.
00:12Politicians have spoken, lawyers have argued, commentators have debated.
00:17Yet beneath the politics, history, and emotion lies a single technical but powerful function,
00:25something called the gas aggregator.
00:26And understanding what that means is key to understanding why Sarawas wants more control,
00:32and why Petronas cannot just surrender it.
00:39For decades, gas has flowed from Sarawas shores, fueling homes, factories, and export terminals across Malaysia and beyond.
00:47Sarawas is proud of that, but it is also frustrated.
00:50J.C. Fung, legal advisor to the Sarawas state government, says about 94% of the gas produced in Sarawas is sent out,
00:59mostly exported, as liquefied natural gas.
01:01That leaves only about 6% for state use.
01:05How can we build our own industries when most of the gas we produce leaves our state?
01:10That question is at the heart of why Sarawas now wants the gas aggregator role.
01:14Here's how Malaysia's gas system works.
01:19Upstream companies like Shell and Petronas Charagalli produce gas.
01:23That gas is sold to an aggregator.
01:25The middle player that collects it, manages the flow, and decides who gets how much.
01:30Downstream industries, power plants, factories, and exporters buy gas from the aggregator.
01:36Presently, Petronas is the national aggregator.
01:39It manages gas from the whole country, making sure Malaysia's industries get what they need,
01:44while also honoring long-term export contracts worth billions of ringgit.
01:51The gate function will be taken over by Sarawas through Petros.
01:57Sarawas now wants state-owned company Petros to take over as the sole aggregator of gas generated in the state.
02:03That means Petros would buy gas directly from upstream producers and decide how much is to be retained for domestic use before authorizing the rest for export.
02:13In short, Sarawas wants control, to make sure there is enough gas to fuel the state's economy.
02:20Sarawas' intentions are legitimate.
02:22But the question is, should Petros be allowed to occupy that middle link on its own?
02:27When Petronas manages the aggregator role, it sees the entire picture.
02:35Production, domestic demand, exports.
02:38If Petros assumes full control, Petronas would remain responsible for upholding Malaysia's export commitments,
02:44but would no longer be in a position to manage the flow of gas.
02:48As oil and gas analyst Jaimil Gunny explained,
02:51Sarawak has called for Petros to replace Petronas as sole gas aggregator.
02:55Technically, this would allow Petros to buy gas upstream at lower prices and sell it downstream at higher margins.
03:02This may cause Petronas to lose a lot of money and would be left with the challenge of honoring long-term export commitments.
03:10That, Jaimil said, would be difficult for Petronas to accommodate.
03:15And that's the concern.
03:16Not politics, not ownership, but commercial viability.
03:20The system that keeps Malaysia's gas predictable risks becoming fragmented.
03:29The federal government has already begun addressing Sarawak's need for growth.
03:33Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim recently announced that Petronas will set aside 1.2 billion cubic feet of gas per day for use within Sarawak,
03:40a big jump in allocation to help local industries grow.
03:44Petros di bawah DGO dijamin memperolehi gas asli sehingga 1.2 billion kaki padu sehari
03:53untuk keperluan domestik Sarawak dengan jaminan penambahan berdasarkan keperluan berikutnya.
04:01Of course, this supply guarantee must also depend on Sarawak's actual demand growth as well.
04:08And experts have suggested a practical next step.
04:12Instead of making Petros the sole aggregator, create a joint aggregator model,
04:16where Petros handles gas distribution within Sarawak,
04:19while Petronas continues managing exports and the national network.
04:23That way, Sarawak gains real control over the supply it needs
04:27without breaking the backbone that keeps the entire system stable.
04:32Everyone wants the same thing.
04:34For Sarawak to grow and for Malaysia to stay strong.
04:38Sarawak's demands come from a combination of pride and practicality.
04:42Petronasus from the need to ensure viability.
04:44The solution isn't about choosing one over the other.
04:48DGO dibaca sekali dengan Akta PDA 1974.
04:53It is about building a system where both work side by side,
04:55where Sarawak gets more gas for its people,
04:58and Malaysia keeps its reputation for reliability.
05:02Sarawak deserves more.
05:04That's clear.
05:05But Petronasus can be made to fail,
05:07because it's the very system that makes more possible in the first place.
05:12It's time for both federal and state governments to sit down
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