TENOM: Petroliam Nasional Bhd (Petronas) has agreed to provide equity or stake in some of its projects in Sabah as a condition to supply natural gas from this state to Bintulu, Sarawak.
Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor said it included 25 per cent equity each in the liquefied natural gas (LNG) and Sabah Ammonia Urea (SAMUR) projects in the Sipitang Oil and Gas Industrial Park (SOGIP).
He said the matter was agreed to by Petronas after he sent a letter to the national oil company regarding the state government's request in return for Sabah's permission to export natural gas from the state.
"Recently I sent a letter to Petronas regarding gas distribution from Kimanis to Bintulu.
"We stressed that if they distribute gas from Sabah to Bintulu through Sabah land, they must give importance to Sabah and they agreed.
"They (Petronas) can supply gas to Bintulu on the condition that they give 25 per cent shares in the LNG project in SOGIP.
"So far we have no stake in SAMUR and Petronas also gives 25 per cent equity there.
"Gas production from oil wells will also see Petronas give 30-50 per cent," he said at the Sabah People's Coalition (GRS) Election Machinery Launch of the Tenom parliamentary seat, here, today.
Hajiji, who is also the state finance minister, said the state government is expected to sign on the matter with Petronas before the end of this month or next month.
He said it was one of GRS's achievements in its efforts to claim Sabah's rights through the Special Council for the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MKMA63) which was able to provide additional revenue of billions of ringgit to Sabah.
"Many things have been authorised for Sabah to be implemented that we have been demanding from the Centre. Among them are issues related to the payment of Petronas.
"We used to only pay royalties, but starting last year, Petronas pays an additional five percent tax on oil sales issued in Sabah and we get a lot more from Petronas," he said.
Meanwhile, Hajiji said the Election Commission (EC) and the National Registration Department (NRD) will provide an explanation regarding the surge of new voters in Sabah this Tuesday.
He said that the matter had already been discussed at the state Cabinet meeting last Wednesday and requested that the EC and NRD provide further clarification.
Hajiji added that the jump in the number of new voters contained in the latest voter register issued by the EC in all parliamentary constituencies in Sabah is doubtful.
"There is something that concerns us, and we discussed it in the Cabinet last Wednesday. We are asking the EC and NRD director for an explanation this Tuesday," he said.
Based on the latest voter register issued by the EC, Sabah now has 1.68 million voters compared to 1.1 million in 2018, which is an increase of 53.9 per cent.
The electoral roll gazetted last July showed that the Sepanggar constituency recorded the highest number with 107,463 voters, followed by Lahad Datu (99,741) and Tawau (87,189).