Petronas backs faster exploration
The Malaysian NOC will continue with oil and gas exploration despite the energy transition, says CEO Tengku Muhammad Taufik
“We will still explore,” Petronas CEO Tengku Muhammad Taufik told the Energy Intelligence Forum 2021. But the needs of the energy transition—including the NOC’s own pledge to be carbon neutral by 2050—means upstream projects will “have to reach maturation faster... and can be monetised early”. As an explorer, Petronas has to be “more efficient, more cost-effective, cleaner and faster,” Taufik says. Despite the strength of the crude market, Petronas is still applying a “$40/bl test” to assess the viability of potential projects, although Taufik says the company is now looking at $55-60/bl “in the near term”. The Petronas CEO also gave a vigorous defence of gas as a transition fuel, emphasisin
Also in this section
13 March 2026
Brussels is again weighing a cap on gas prices amid the Hormuz crisis, but the measure could backfire by deterring the LNG cargoes Europe urgently needs
12 March 2026
Emergency oil stocks provide a last line of defence to oil market shocks, so the IEA’s unprecedented 400m bl release represents something of a double-edged sword
12 March 2026
LPG could rapidly expand access to clean cooking across Africa and prevent hundreds of thousands of deaths from indoor air pollution each year, but infrastructure shortages and regulatory barriers are slowing investment and market growth
11 March 2026
Missiles over Dubai and disruption in Hormuz are testing the emirate’s reputation—and shaking the energy hub at the centre of the Gulf economy






