Brunei, officially State of Brunei, and formally Brunei Darussalam, is a country in Southeast Asia, situated on the northern coast of the island of Borneo. Apart from its coastline on the South China Sea, it is completely surrounded by the Malaysian state of Sarawak, with its territory bifurcated by the Sarawak district of Limbang. Brunei is the only sovereign state entirely on Borneo; the remainder of the island is divided between its multi-landmass neighbours of Malaysia and Indonesia. As of 2023, the country had a population of 455,858, of whom approximately 180,000 resided in the capital and largest city of Bandar Seri Begawan. Its official language is Malay and Islam is the state religion of the country, although other religions are nominally tolerated. The government of Brunei is an constitutional absolute monarchy ruled by the Sultan, and it implements a fusion of English common law and jurisprudence inspired by Islam, including sharia.
The economy of Brunei, a small and wealthy country, is a mixture of foreign and domestic entrepreneurship, government regulation and welfare measures, and village traditions. It is almost entirely supported by exports of crude oil and natural gas, with revenues from the petroleum sector accounting for over half of GDP. Per capita GDP is high, and substantial income from overseas investment supplements income from domestic production. The government provides for all medical services and subsidizes food and housing. The government has shown progress in its basic policy of diversifying the economy away from oil and gas. Brunei's leaders are concerned that steadily increased integration in the world economy will undermine internal social cohesion although it has taken steps to become a more prominent player by serving as chairman for the 2000 APEC forum. Growth in 1999 was estimated at 2.5% due to higher oil prices in the second half.
Bandar Seri Begawan is the capital and largest city of Brunei. It is officially a municipal area with an area of 100.36 square kilometres (38.75 sq mi) and an estimated population of 100,700 as of 2007. It is part of Brunei-Muara District, the smallest yet most populous district which is home to over 70 per cent of the country's population. It is the country's largest urban centre and nominally the country's only city. The capital is home to Brunei's seat of government, as well as a commercial and cultural centre. It was formerly known as Brunei Town until it was renamed in 1970 in honour of Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddien III, the 28th Sultan of Brunei and the father of the current Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah.
Omar Ali Saifuddien Sa'adul Khairi Waddien was the 28th Sultan of Brunei, reigning from 1950 until his abdication in 1967 to his oldest son, Hassanal Bolkiah.
China Petroleum and Chemical Corporation, or Sinopec, is a Chinese oil and gas enterprise based in Beijing. It is listed in Hong Kong and also trades in Shanghai.
Kuala Belait is the administrative town of Belait District, Brunei. The population of the town proper was 4,259 in 2016. Kuala Belait is officially a municipal area, as well as a village under the mukim of the same name. The town is located 85 kilometres (53 mi) west of the country's capital Bandar Seri Begawan, and 20 kilometres (12 mi) west of Seria, the district's other town. It is also in the westernmost part of country, near the mouth of the Belait River.
Seria is a town in Belait District, Brunei, about 65 kilometres (40 mi) west from the country's capital Bandar Seri Begawan. The total population was 3,625 in 2016. It was where oil was first struck in Brunei in 1929 and has since become a centre for the country's oil and gas industry. The town's bazaar, officially opened on 19 September 1954, has few retail establishments, fresh food markets, supermarkets, banking services, tourist information centers, and a range of restaurants, including Malay, Chinese, Indian, Indonesian and Italian ones as well as outdoor dining in somewhat rustic settings. For processing documentation related to owning a car and hiring domestic helpers (amahs), government offices are located in Kuala Belait.
Panaga is a coastal settlement on the north-east coast of the island of Borneo, in the Bruneian district of Belait. Officially known as Kampong Panaga, it is a village-level subdivision under Seria, a mukim or subdistrict of Belait. The settlement of Panaga comprises a public housing estate under the National Housing Scheme and the housing estate of Brunei Shell Petroleum (BSP), the main oil and gas company in the country. Panaga is also home to the headquarters of the company itself. The postcode for Panaga is KB4533.
Rasau is an area in Brunei. The area contains one of the two oil fields of Brunei, the Rasau Field, and a small village, Kampong Rasau, which has a population of 103.
The Brunei LNG (BLNG) is the LNG plant in Lumut, Brunei. It is the largest oil and gas producer in the country. Moreover as of 2006, Brunei has been the 4th largest oil producer in Southeast Asia and the 9th largest LNG producer in the world.
Anduki Airfield is a domestic airfield which now primarily operates as a heliport, located in Seria, a town in the Belait District of Brunei Darussalam. Although Anduki Airfield is owned by the Government of Brunei, it is operated and managed by Brunei Shell Petroleum (BSP), who currently fly Sikorsky S-92 and AgustaWestland AW139 helicopters in support of servicing offshore oil platforms. Brunei Shell Petroleum replaced the original grass airstrip with a sealed instrument runway in 2008. Future upgrades include the addition of runway lighting, and an enhanced instrument approach procedure. Operations at Anduki Airfield are carried out in accordance with regulations from the United Kingdom Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) and the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) standards.
Only 0.05% of Brunei's power was generated using renewable energy, with the remaining 99.95% coming from fossil fuels. The nation established a 10% renewable energy target in the electricity generating mix by 2035 in 2014. When it comes to renewable energy, Brunei has yet to significantly advance and establish itself as a desirable location for investment. From 2020 to 2035, the percentage of renewables must rise by 0.66% year in order to reach the aim. To further the growth of renewable energy, particularly solar energy, which is more plentiful than wind energy, the nation still has to implement a regulatory framework.
Energy in Brunei is related to all of the type of energy and its related infrastructure used in Brunei. Natural gas and diesel are used significantly in Brunei to generate domestic electricity, as well as gasoline and diesel to power its roads. Domestic supplies were undoubtedly still safe, but they were still susceptible to disturbances that would result in power outages and a lack of gasoline. To reduce the country's susceptibility and the economic hazards brought on by interrupted power and fuel shortages, it is crucial to strengthen the dependability of these sources.
Seria oil field also known as Seria Field is the largest oil field in northwest Borneo, discovered in 1929. The oil is accumulated in Upper Miocene sandstone, trapped in Seria Anticline that straddles the present day coastline. This field has produced more than 1 billion barrels of oil for more than 75 years. Brunei Shell Petroleum (BSP) is the operator of this field.
Baiduri Bank is a part of the Baiduri Bank Group, which is among Brunei's biggest suppliers of financial services and goods. It has since become of Brunei's biggest suppliers of financial services and products, Baiduri Bank caters to a range of clientele, including retail, MSMEs, corporate, and institutional customers. The principal stakeholder of Baiduri Holdings, the entity that owns 60% of Baiduri Bank, is Pengiran Anak Hajah Zariah, the princess consort to Prince Mohamed Bolkiah.
Transport in Brunei consists of air, land, and sea transport. Previously there was some rail transport in Brunei, but eventually most of it was closed down. Several public and commercial sector organizations are in charge of creating and overseeing these networks and infrastructures. The Ministry of Transport and Infocommunications (MTIC) is in charge of overseeing the maritime and aviation industries, as well as planning and regulating all kinds of land transportation.
SS Belais was the fourth ship of the seven B-class oil tankers. She was previously known as Gastrana. She is named after the belais, a species of fish found in Brunei and Malaysia.
Brunei Energy Services & Trading Sdn Bhd (BEST) is a company based in Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei Darussalam. Established in 2012 as PB Trading Sdn Bhd, it was previously a subsidiary of Brunei National Petroleum Company Sendirian Berhad, also known as PetroleumBRUNEI. Following a restructure of PetroleumBRUNEI and its subsidiaries, the regulatory authority is now known as Petroleum Authority, whilst the trading and services arm of PetroleumBRUNEI was renamed as BEST, and is now under the purview of the Ministry of Finance and Economy. BEST also provides the manpower and resources to its sister companies, Brunei Energy Exploration Sdn Bhd and Brunei Energy Production Sdn Bhd (BEP).
The Brunei Methanol Company (BMC) is a methanol plant in Sungai Liang, Brunei. According to the Brunei Darussalam Newsletter, the BMC plant was the largest investment done outside of the oil and gas and LNG industry. The plant was noted to have the capability to produce up to 850,000 tonnes of methanol per year. The project was part of the Wawasan Brunei 2035 goals on diversing Brunei's economy and reduce the dependence on oil and gas industry.
South West Ampa (SWA) gas field, also known as Ampa Field or Southwest Ampa, is a conventional gas field 13 kilometres (8.1 mi) off Kuala Belait and near to Fairley and Gannet gas fields. It is managed by Brunei Shell Petroleum (BSP) Company that is situated in the shallow sea. The gas field is owned by the government of Brunei and BSP. The field contains more than half of BSP's gas reserves, with over 400 oil rim reservoirs and 380 non-associated gas reservoirs.
