Energy

The country has long had big ambitions for the downstream segment of its energy sector, and 2014 was the year when they finally began to take shape. The $10bn oil processing and petrochemicals complex planned by China’s Zhejiang Hengyi in Brunei Darussalam passed a crucial milestone in February 2014 when Hengyi and the Bruneian government formed a joint venture, Hengyi...

What impacts has the recent local business development (LBD) framework had on domestic companies in the energy sector?

Like all traditional oil and gas producers, Brunei Darussalam is running an uphill race against time. The giant fields that have been the country’s mainstay since the 1970s or earlier are in decline, and the remaining undeveloped resources are increasingly difficult to reach. They are deeper and in smaller, more scattered reservoirs.

As a small country with a large endowment of oil and gas, Brunei Darussalam has naturally developed a mostly export-oriented energy sector. Through long relationships with top multinationals, the Sultanate has an established record of applying leading technologies in the exploration, development and processing of its natural resources. The country is today primarily an...

With an established reputation as an honest broker and investor in long-term strategic opportunities within South-east Asia, Brunei Darussalam has made a name for itself as a regional player. ASEAN itself has emerged as a major centre for activities in the upstream and downstream segments, with the Philippines, Myanmar, Malaysia and Thailand standing out as the most...