Petronas’ gas discovery at the Sloanea field has strengthened Suriname’s push for more offshore natural gas exploration, Minister of Oil, Gas and Environment Patrick Brunings has said. Brunings told Platts, part of S&P Global Commodity Insights, that the discovery showed further gas potential in Suriname’s offshore acreage.
He spoke in Buenos Aires ahead of the Arpel energy conference, held from June 1-4. Petronas found gas at Sloanea in late 2025 while drilling for oil.
“We knew based on the data that we had that there was a [likelihood ] that there would be more gas around that well, and that’s why we pushed for Petronas to drill another appraisal for gas,” he said. Brunings described the appraisal well as “fantastic.”
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Suriname’s offshore industry has mainly been centered on oil exploration and development. TotalEnergies, Chevron, Shell, Petronas, and PetroChina are among the companies operating in the country.
The push comes as neighboring Guyana also moves to develop natural gas resources. Guyana is advancing its Gas-to-Energy project at Wales, which is intended to bring offshore gas to shore for power generation and other uses. ExxonMobil Guyana has also proposed the Haimara development in the Stabroek Block as a natural gas project, with condensate production and gas reinjection planned for pressure maintenance and increased condensate recovery. The government also has the Longtail development, another gas-focused project under consideration.
Brunings said Suriname wants to increase gas-related activity because it sees natural gas as an export opportunity and a possible domestic fuel source. “We’re going to try and find ways to incentivize that,” he added.
The government is considering tax breaks to encourage companies to take early exploration risks.
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“We will do it in such a way that, for instance, the first companies that are taking the risk, they get some more advantages,” Brunings said.
Brunings said the incentives could be announced “very soon,” though he did not provide details.
Suriname is also holding an open-door licensing round. The country is seeking exploration bids in deepwater areas, where larger companies already active in Suriname are expected to be the focus. It is also targeting shallow-water areas for smaller companies with lower budgets.
