DILI, 14 september 2022 (TATOLI)-Oil and gas company SundaGas Banda signed an agreement with the Dili Institute of Technology (DIT) to strengthen the study cooperation in the oil sector.
The Dean of the Faculty of Petroleum Studies at DIT University, Marcelino Freitas Naikosou, explained that the memorandum of understanding was signed on 13 September 2022 between the two entities to facilitate joint studies and provide space for graduates from DIT to work at SundaGas.
“SundaGas is an international company that works in the field of exploration in the oil and gas sector, DIT itself has a petroleum faculty, thus this agreement paves way for the graduate students to practice comparative study, field work practice, or various knowledge focus on petroleum sectors in SundaGas,” said Marcelino Freitas Naikosiku to Tatoli exclusively at the DIT Manleuana campus, this wednesday.
The CEO (Chief Executive Officer) of SundaGas, Andy Butler, expressed his enthusiasm for building close relationships with the main institutions that conduct geoscience activities in Dili, saying:” we signed a Memorandum of Understanding which includes the opportunity to share knowledge between SundaGas and DIT such as its staff, researchers, and students,”
“We look forward to collaborating with DIT and other institutions covering geological sciences in Timor-Leste,”
At the beginning of this collaboration, he was pleased that Romain Courel gave a presentation sponsored by SundaGas for DIT.
Romain Courel is a highly experienced geologist and pressure expert, having worked for multinational oil and gas companies in Europe, Africa, and Southeast Asia.
While SundaGas Banda Unipesperti Lda (SundaGas) is an affiliate of Baron Oil Plc, a company listed on the London Stock Exchange. SundaGas is the operator of the Oil Production Sharing Contract (PSC) off the coast of Timor-Leste, known as PSC TL-SO-19-16.
“We are partnering with TIMOR GAP and working closely with ANPM. The area we are evaluating contains a very interesting gas field called Chuditch, discovered in 1998 by Shell, but never developed,” he said.
The Chuditch discovery well is located approximately 130km east of Bayu-Undan and 100km south of Sunrise, in about 65m of water and 2,900m below sea level.
The focus of SundaGas’ activities since the signing of the PSC in late 2019 has been to conduct a very extensive evaluation of the Chuditch gas field, deploying the latest geophysical technologies to improve subsurface understanding and field imaging.
The evaluation process is nearing completion and is expected to lead to the drilling of more wells at Chuditch in the near future to allow the field to move towards gas development and production.
SundaGas has an established office in Dili and recruits an excellent team of East Timorese personnel. As part of the business in Timor-Leste, SundaGas wants to do what it can to strengthen the level of geoscience skills and expertise in the country.
“We, therefore, conduct extensive training in all fields of geoscience and petroleum engineering, not only for our own staff but also providing opportunities to enhance skills and capabilities for our partners TIMOR GAP and colleagues at ANPM and IPG,” he concluded.
Journalist: José Belarmino De Sá
Editor: Nelia B.
