Malaysian energy behemoth Petronas through Malaysia Petroleum Management (MPM) is gearing up for the nation’s next licensing round, which is scheduled to be opened in early 2025 in the capital city, Kuala Lumpur.
MPM has teamed up with Earth Science Analytics (ESA) and Amazon Web Services (AWS) to leverage on advanced artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) technologies to accelerate exploration efforts in the Malay basin and enhance the data capabilities of Petronas’ myPROdata platform. This web-based platform provides subscribers access to Malaysia’s upstream data.
MPM will be partnering with ESA to explore cutting-edge AI and ML geoscience technology, with the initiative focusing on developing AI-driven subsurface workflows using ESA’s EarthNET platform and Petronas’ myPROdata to boost subsurface data analytics and interpretation, leading to the optimisation of hydrocarbon exploration in the mature Malay basin, offshore Peninsular Malaysia.
Meanwhile, the partnership established with AWS is a collaboration to enhance Petronas’ myPROdata platform through AI and data analytics.
"These collaborations are pivotal in reinforcing Petronas' commitment to innovation as we gear up for Malaysia Bid Round (MBR) 2025,” commented Bacho Pilong, senior vice president of MPM.
"By leveraging advanced AI and ML capabilities, we aim to empower our investors and petroleum arrangement contractors [operators] with richer data insights and more streamlined processes, driving smarter decision-making and ensuring a more efficient, impactful bid round for all participants."
The MBR is an annual licensing round offering diverse upstream opportunities to potential investors and it includes exploration acreages, Discovered Resource Opportunities and late life producing assets across Malaysia.
This year's bid round — MBR 2024 — was launched on 23 January and it remains to be seen whether MPM opts for a similar date for MBR 2025 or whether it wait until February, perhaps in the same week when Petronas is hosting the International Petroleum Technology Conference in KL.
Petronas said it is committed to ensuring optimal and sustainable supply of oil and gas for the nation’s energy security, while pursuing deliberate efforts towards achieving low-carbon and low-emission operations, in line with its goal of achieving net-zero emission by 2050.
