RAZON-LED Prime Energy Resources Development B.V., operator of the Malampaya gas field, said it’s exploring potential areas beyond the country’s most important natural gas source to assist firm up power supply.
Prime Energy President and Chief Executive Officer Donnabel Kuizon-Cruz said the corporate is studying opportunities to explore additional blocks except for Malampaya.
“We were still taking a look at other blocks that we could potentially explore. So we’re not focused on only one area. And naturally, yearly, we refresh our work program budget to see where we would like to go next,” Ms. Kuizon-Cruz told reporters on Tuesday.
The Malampaya consortium — composed of Prime Energy Resources Development B.V., UC38 LLC, Prime Oil & Gas, Inc., and state-owned PNOC Exploration Corp. — is undertaking an $893-million Malampaya Phase 4 (MP4) project to increase the lifetime of the gas field.
The Malampaya Deep Water Gas-to-Power Project spans 337,676 hectares offshore Palawan and supplies as much as 13% of Luzon’s electricity requirements.
Prime Energy earlier said it had accomplished drilling and testing two wells — Malampaya East-1 (MAE-1) and Camago 3 — confirming the presence of natural gas reserves.
MAE-1, positioned about five kilometers east of the prevailing Malampaya field, is estimated to contain about 98 billion cubic feet of gas, while Camago 3 is estimated to carry as much as 60 billion cubic feet of gas.
The corporate said these wells could extend the operating lifetime of the Malampaya gas field by about six years, supporting continued supply of indigenous natural gas to the Luzon grid.
“We’ve tested these wells and we’ve proven there’s gas that we will produce to take care of the Malampaya plateau for not less than six years. In order that is already a significant milestone,” Ms. Kuizon-Cruz said.
“And now, immediately after that, we’ve began laying the pipes that will connect these wells to the platform,” she added.
Following the completion of the 2 wells, the consortium is preparing to drill the Bagong Pag-asa exploration well, positioned about 30 kilometers north of Malampaya.
Ms. Kuizon-Cruz said the corporate stays on course to deliver first gas from the MP4 development by the fourth quarter of 2026.
“It’s on course. It’s going thoroughly to this point. So so long as we proceed on this track, we remain on schedule. We should always have the ability to satisfy the Q4 2026 promise,” she said.
The MP4 project has been certified by the federal government as a project of national significance. Since its inception, the Malampaya project has generated greater than $14 billion in revenues for the federal government and reduced reliance on imported fuels. — Sheldeen Joy Talavera