Central & SE Asia / Australasia
Country profile: Brunei
| Location: | Southeastern Asia, bordering the South China Sea and Malaysia |
| Climate: | tropical; hot, humid, rainy |
| Terrain: | flat coastal plain rises to mountains in east; hilly lowland in west |
| Size: | 5770 sq. km total (Land area: 5270 sq. km Water area: 500 sq.km) |
| Population: | 381,371 (July 2008 est.) |
| Languages: | Malay (official), English, Chinese |
| Government: | constitutional sultanate |
| Capital city: | Bandar Seri Begawan |
| Legal system: | based on English common law; for Muslims, Islamic Shari'a law supersedes civil law in a number of areas; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction |
| Currency: | Bruneian dollar (BND) |
| Licensing: |
Country profile
Brunei's small, wealthy economy is based heavily upon proceeds from exports of crude oil and natural gas. Revenues from the hydrocarbons sector account for nearly half of gross domestic product (GDP), around 90 percent of merchandise exports, and 80 percent of government revenues. Brunei consumes little energy domestically, and is a sizeable net exporter of oil and natural gas. However, the country’s hydrocarbon reserves have declined over the last several decades.
The bulk of Brunei’s domestic energy consumption comes from natural gas, while the balance is met by oil. As oil and natural gas reserves are further depleted, there may be some pressure to diversify the country’s energy consumption mix.
Energy production and consumption
| Oil | Gas | |
| Production: | 219,300 bbl/day (2006) | 11 billion cu m (2005 est.) |
| Consumption: | 14,900 bbl/day (2006) | 2 billion cu m (2005 est.) |
| Exports: | 205,600 bbl/day (2006) | 8 billion cu m (2005 est.) |
| Imports: | 660 bbl/day (2004) | |
| Reserves: | 1 billion bbl (1 January 2006 est.) | 374 billion cu m (1 January 2006 est.) |
| Major fields: |
Brunei - recent news
| 04 Jun 25 |
Brunei: PTAS Aker Solutions secures extension of brownfield services contract in Brunei PTAS Aker Solutions, a local joint venture between Aker Solutions and the Brunei company PTAS Sdn Bhd, has secured a significant two-year contract extension to provide offshore maintenance and modification services to Brunei Shell Petroleum (BSP). |
| 12 May 25 |
Upland Resources advances opportunities in Brunei and Malaysia Upland Resources has reported progress in advancing its hydrocarbon development initiatives across Southeast Asia. |
| 17 Feb 25 |
Brunei Darussalam offers two offshore blocks for competitive bidding Brunei Darussalam has announced the Brunei Offshore Licensing Round 2025. On offer are offshore Blocks A and D, located in water depths of 10 - 500 metres, and close to various existing infrastructure and proven oil and gas fields, making them highly attractive for exploration and development activities. |
| 16 Oct 24 |
Brunei: Hibiscus Petroleum Completes Acquisition of TotalEnergies EP (Brunei) Hibiscus Petroleum has completed the acquisition of the equity interest in TotalEnergies EP (Brunei). With the completion of the acquisition, the Group is now operator and owner of a 37.5% interest in a well-established gas producing asset, Block B Maharajalela Jamalulalam ('MLJ') field, in Brunei Darussalam. |
| 14 Jun 24 |
Brunei: TotalEnergies sells its subsidiary in Brunei TotalEnergies has entered into an agreement to sell its wholly-owned subsidiary TotalEnergies EP (Brunei) to Hibiscus Petroleum, a Malaysian independent oil and gas exploration and production company, for a consideration of $259 million. TotalEnergies EP (Brunei) owns and operates a 37.5% interest in Block B, which contains the Maharaja Lela/Jamalulam (MLJ) field, which started producing in 1999. |
Brunei - more news
Other countries in this region
- Australia,
- Bangladesh,
- Cambodia,
- China,
- Fiji,
- Hong Kong,
- India,
- Indonesia,
- Japan,
- Laos,
- Malaysia,
- Maldives,
- Mongolia,
- Myanmar,
- Nepal,
- New Zealand,
- North Korea,
- Pakistan,
- Palau,
- Papua New Guinea,
- Philippines,
- Singapore,
- South Korea,
- Sri Lanka,
- Taiwan,
- Thailand,
- Timor Leste,
- Vietnam
