National News: Brunei- PMB oil refinery to employ 50pc local workforce

MINISTER of Energy, Manpower and Industry Dato Seri Setia Dr Awang Haji Mat Suny bin Haji Mohd Hussein said the Oil Refinery and Petrochemical Plant at Pulau Muara Besar (PMB) has reached the 78 per cent mark of its expected completion date on July 2019.

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The minister was speaking on the occasion of a working visit by His Royal Highness Prince Haji Al-Muhtadee Billah ibni His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu’izzaddin Waddaulah, the Crown Prince and Senior Minister at the Prime Minister’s Office to the Oil Refinery and Petrochemical Plant at PMB yesterday.

“During peak operations, the plant will be able to process 175 thousand gallons of petroleum products, where 12 thousand gallons will be used domestically,” said the minister, who also added that 1,665 jobs will be made available once the plant is operational, whereby 50 per cent has been reserved for locals that will eventually increase to 90 per cent.

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His Royal Highness was also briefed on the overall development of Pulau Muara Besar and the project updates of the Oil Refinery and Petrochemical Plant by Deputy Minister of Energy, Manpower and Industry Dato Seri Paduka Awang Haji Matsatejo bin Sokiaw.

His Royal Highness was later briefed by Permanent Secretary (Energy) at the Ministry of Energy, Manpower and Industry Haji Azhar bin Haji Yahya regarding the technical progress of the project in his capacity as Chairman of the Technical Working Committee under the Pulau Muara Besar Development Steering Committee.

This was followed by a briefing on the roles and responsibilities of the Department of Environment, Parks and Recreation (JASTRe) on the management and monitoring of environment at Pulau Muara Besar by Permanent Secretary (Planning, Land Use and Environment) at the Ministry of Development Dr Nor Imtihan binti Haji Abdul Razak.

A presentation regarding the health, safety and environment (HSE) standards on Pulau Muara Besar was delivered by Senior Inspector at the Safety, Health and Environment National Authority (SHENA) Haji Jasrin bin Haji Serudin.

His Royal Highness was briefed by Permanent Secretary (Manpower) at the Ministry of Energy, Manpower and Industry Haji Zolkiflee bin Haji Abdul Karim, in his capacity as Chairman of the Welfare Working Committee under the Pulau Muara Besar Development Steering Committee, regarding the present measures being undertaken to ensure the well-being of workers and the religious activities undertaken at Pulau Muara Besar.

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This was followed with a briefing by local operator Hengyi Industries Sdn Bhd Adib bin Idris, who highlighted the company’s commitment to employ more locals.

His Royal Highness was invited for morning refreshment, followed by a photo session with members of the multi-stakeholder Pulau Muara Besar Development Steering Committee, the Village Head of Kampong Masjid Lama, Pekan Muara, Sabun and Pelumpong, the Working Committees under the Steering Committee, and the management of Hengyi Industries Sdn Bhd.

His Royal Highness then proceeded to tour the Oil Refinery and Petrochemical Plant, beginning with the Refinery and Petrochemical Processing Units, the Eastern and Western Jetties, and a Surau for graduates of the Centre for Capacity Building employed at Pulau Muara Besar.

His Royal Highness later chaired a meeting with the members of the Pulau Muara Besar Steering Committee and the management of the Hengyi Industries Sdn Bhd joint venture company.

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His Royal Highness discussed the current and future development of the oil refinery and petrochemical plant; and among various matters emphasised by His Royal Highness was that the developments should continue to meet international standards, job sustainability and opportunities for the current and future local employees at Pulau Muara Besar, as well as the socio-economic contributions derived from these projects.

Concluding the working visit, His Royal Highness was invited to a lunch reception and also joined in a mass Zohor prayer with the local workers at Pulau Muara Besar.

His Royal Highness received Junjung Ziarah from 400 local workers at Pulau Muara Besar.

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The Oil Refinery and Petrochemical Plant at Pulau Muara Besar is a foreign direct investment (FDI) joint-venture project undertaken by Hengyi Industries Sdn Bhd.

Its shareholders are Damai Holdings Ltd under the Strategic Development Capital Fund, Ministry of Finance and Economy and Zhejiang Hengyi Group Co Ltd from the People’s Republic of China.

The Phase One Development at the Oil Refinery and Petrochemical Plant was approved by the Brunei government in June 2011.

When the plant becomes operational, it will produce petroleum products, for domestic use and for export, including those used for the textile industry in the People’s Republic of China.

The progress of the plant and other matters relating to the development of the Pulau Muara Besar Industrial Park are regularly monitored by the Pulau Muara Besar Development Steering Committee co-chaired by the Minister of Energy, Manpower and Industry and the Minister of Development.

Other members of the Steering Committee are Minister of Defence II Pehin Datu Lailaraja Major General (Rtd) Dato Paduka Seri Haji Awang Halbi bin Haji Mohd Yussof, Minister at the Prime Minister’s Office Dato Seri Setia Haji Awang Abdul Mokti bin Haji Mohd Daud, Minister at the Prime Minister’s Office and Minister of Finance and Economy II Dato Seri Setia Dr Awang Haji Mohd Amin Liew bin Abdullah, Minister of Transport and Infocommunications Dato Seri Setia Awang Abdul Mutalib bin Pehin Orang Kaya Seri Setia Dato Paduka Haji Mohd Yusof, and Deputy Minister of Energy, Manpower and Industry Dato Seri Paduka Awang Haji Matsatejo bin Sokiaw.

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​In realising the aspirations of His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu’izzaddin Waddaulah ibni Al-Marhum Sultan Haji Omar ‘Ali Saifuddien Sa’adul Khairi Waddien, Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam to increase job opportunities for local people through government initiatives, currently 276 local workers are directly employed under Hengyi Industries Sdn Bhd. Throughout the operation phase, the plant is expected to open up more direct employment opportunities, with at least 50 per cent being dedicated to locals at the start and increasing to 90 per cent in the following years.

There are also further economic spin-offs expected to be generated for local businesses through the provision of goods and services to sustain and support the operational phase, which can provide another 2,400 indirect employment opportunities.

During the construction phase alone, 82 local companies were awarded contracts by Hengyi Industries Sdn Bhd, which included the supply of articles for construction, construction survey services, bicycle supplies, bus procurement, car rental, ambulance services, chemical product supplies, cleaning services and boat services.