appConfigEntityId

bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

isVideo

articlePageQuery

article

articleSchemaContent

content

hooksArticlePageAdvertisementConfigArticle

appConfig

filter

json

liveArticle

Reuters

Malaysia’s highest court on Monday allowed national energy firm Petronas to pursue a legal bid to challenge several laws passed by the state of Sarawak, amid a protracted dispute over gas distribution rights.
Sarawak, on Borneo island, is home to more than 60 per cent of Malaysia’s gas reserves and has long sought greater control over its natural resources.
In recent years, it has passed laws and appointed its own firm Petros to procure, distribute, supply and sell all natural gas in the state, putting it in conflict with Petronas, or Petroliam Nasional Berhad, which is wholly owned by the federal government.
After two years of stalled talks, Petronas filed a motion at the Federal Court in January seeking clarity on the legal and regulatory framework governing its ⁠operations in ⁠Sarawak.

Sarawak filed a competing claim last month, challenging three federal laws governing petroleum.
On Monday, the court allowed Petronas to pursue its legal bid, with the company given 21 days to commence proceedings.
Petronas lawyer Cyrus Das alleged that Sarawak’s state legislature had exceeded its lawmaking powers and repeatedly relied on a colonial-era law to extend its territorial reach or jurisdiction.
The state laws had also breached federal rights on oil exploration in the state, Das said.
“We are challenging it on the grounds that there was ‌no competency in the ‌Sarawak legislature to pass those laws,” Das told reporters after the court hearing.
team objected to Petronas’ challenge, saying that enacting laws on gas distribution was within the state’s legislative rights.


Peta urges vegan diet for Malaysia’s jailed ex-PM Najib, inmates: ‘the only peaceful meal’

Why are more men in Malaysia reporting being sexually harassed now?

Singha beer dynasty scandal, Malaysia’s sunken missile deal: 7 Asia highlights

Philippine rescuers race to free workers trapped after hotel collapse

Malaysia

Malaysia’s Petronas wins right to challenge Sarawak gas laws in court

Petronas’ liquefied natural gas terminal at Bintulu in Sarawak is a linchpin of Malaysia’s energy exports. Photo: Handout

Fuel pump nozzles are pictured at a Petros station in Kuching. Photo: AFP

Sarawak’s energy feud with Petronas gives Malaysia’s Anwar a legal headache

An oil and gas platform off the coast of Malaysia’s Sarawak state. Photo: Shutterstock

 A man walks into Petronas petrol station in Kuala Lumpur. Photo: Sopa Images/LightRocket/Getty Images

Sarawak Premier Abang Johari Openg. He and Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim reportedly reached a political settlement over energy reserves in early 2025. Photo: Sarawak Public Communication Unit & TVS

Malaysia’s government accused of using law to silence critics

Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim speaks in parliament in October last year. Photo: Malaysia’s Department of Information/AFP

Malaysian police officers stand guard during a demonstration in Kuala Lumpur last year. Photo: AFP

The Dewan Rakyat, or lower house of Malaysia’s parliament, in Kuala Lumpur. Photo: AP

Malaysia tightens borders to fight fuel smuggling amid global energy crisis

Fuel pump nozzles are pictured at a petrol station in Kuching, Sarawak. Malaysia will keep subsidised petrol prices unchanged despite the global increase in crude oil costs. Photo: AFP

Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim says state-oil firm Petronas has assured the government that Malaysia’s petroleum product supply remains secure and sufficient until at least May. Photo: Pool via AP

A man pumps petrol near signs of gas prices at a petrol station in Seoul, South Korea, on Tuesday. Governments across Asia have begun moving to cushion the energy shock. Photo: AP

Malaysia’s fuel subsidy bill to rise more than fourfold as Iran war drags on

A man fills his vehicle with diesel at a petrol station in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Photo: EPA-EFE

A tanker sits anchored in Port Sultan Qaboos as the traffic is down in the Strait of Hormuz, amid the US-Israeli conflict with Iran, in Muscat, Oman, on Thursday. Photo: Reuters

News

Asia

Southeast Asia

The national energy firm says that Sarawak has ‌exceeded its powers by passing laws and asserting rights on all natural gas in the state


The national energy firm says that Sarawak has ‌exceeded its powers by passing laws and asserting rights on all natural gas in the state.


Energy

Petronas

Malaysia’s Petronas wins right to challenge Sarawak gas laws in court

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}The national energy firm says that Sarawak has ‌exceeded its powers by passing laws and asserting rights on all natural gas in the state

The national energy firm says that Sarawak has ‌exceeded its powers by passing laws and asserting rights on all natural gas in the state