PBBM: Malampaya discovery enough to power 5.7m households
President Ferdinand Jr. announced a “significant” natural gas discovery east of the Malampaya gas field, marking the country’s first major find in more than a decade at its sole producing offshore site.
About 98 billion cubic feet of natural gas – enough to provide power to 5.7 million homes for a year – has been found east of the Malampaya Field near the island of Palawan, Marcos said.
The President said the volume at the Malampaya East 1 (MAE-1) is equivalent to roughly 14 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity annually.
“Initial testing showed that the well flowed at 60 million cubic feet per day. This indicates that the well has the potential to produce even more, confirming it is a high-productivity resource comparable to the original Malampaya wells,” he said
“This helps Malampaya’s contribution and strengthens our domestic gas supply for many years to come,” Mr. Marcos added.
He said the discovery also includes condensate, a high-value liquid fuel that can further support government efforts to stabilize the country’s power supply.
“This additional resource can help support the government’s efforts for the stabilization of our power supply,” the President said.
MAE-1 is the first milestone under the Malampaya Phase 4 drilling campaign, which also includes the Camago-2 and Bagong Pag-asa wells.
Malampaya Phase 4 has been certified as a Project of National Significance. Since its inception, the Malampaya project has generated more than US$13.9 billion in revenues for the Philippine government, while significantly reducing dependence on imported fuels.
The President said the next steps involve the completion and testing of Camago-3, followed by the drilling of the Pag-asa exploration well to pursue additional gas resources.
The discovery was carried out by the SC-38 Consortium, led by Prime Energy, in partnership with UC-38, PNOC Exploration Corporation and Prime Oil and Gas Incorporated.
“This gas discovery is a victory for the Filipino people,” Prime Energy said in a statement Monday.
“When we assumed operatorship, we committed to the President and the nation to breathe new life into Malampaya and revitalize the indigenous natural gas sector. Today, we are delivering on that commitment.”
The company thanked President Marcos for his leadership, particularly for approving the extension of SC38 and for the enactment of the Philippine Natural Gas Industry Development Act.
Energy Secretary Sharon Garin said the discovery of the significant natural gas reservoir at MAE-1 will unlock indigenous resources and strengthen the country’s long-term energy security.
“This milestone is a testament to the world-class capability of Filipino engineers in securing our country’s energy future…Reliable power fuels our everyday life: the lights in our homes, the continuity of work and enterprise, and the stability our schools, hospitals, and communities depend on,” she said.
“This is truly historic…Natural gas is a critical bridge in our energy mix, supporting power reliability while we scale renewables, energy storage, and grid upgrades,” Garin added.
The Philippine Coast Guard, for its part, said it will “strategically deploy” its assets to ensure heightened security for the MAE-1 gas field.
“The commitment is to deploy our 97-meter vessels and two 44-meter vessels, and even our aircraft, to ensure we protect the gas field,” PCG spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea Commodore Jay Tarriela said.
