The Philippines has announced a gas discovery in the Malampaya East-1 (MAE-1) field, the first in more than 10 years. This new well, located 5 kilometers from the original Malampaya field offshore Palawan, could transform the country’s energy landscape by contributing up to 98 billion cubic feet of gas.
According to data shared by Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr, this reserve has the potential to generate 14 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity annually, equivalent to powering 5.7 million homes, 9,500 buildings or 200,000 schools for a year.
Initial production and strategic value
During initial tests, the well flowed at a rate of 60 million cubic feet per day, and experts estimate that it can exceed that yield. President Marcos emphasized that the quality of the resource is comparable to that of the original wells in the Malampaya field.
In addition to natural gasthe find includes natural gas condensate, a light liquid hydrocarbon that forms when natural gas extracted from a reservoir is cooled or depressurized during production. This adds a marketable liquid component that will help diversify the project’s revenues.
An operational and environmental achievement
The project was executed without environmental incident and with all-Filipino technical leadership, an aspect that was highlighted by the government as a source of national pride.
The MAE-1 well discovery is part of Phase 4 drilling of the Malampaya project, which also includes the Camago-2 and Bagong Pag-asa wells. Following this success, the next stages will be the completion of Camago-3 and the exploration drilling of Pag-asa.
Which companies were involved?
The drilling was led by the SC 38 Consortium, formed by Prime Energy Resources Development B.V. (a subsidiary of Udenna Corporation), PNOC Exploration Corporation (a state-owned company) and UC38 LLC. This partnership has been key to carry out an energy project of this magnitude.
This is proof that with responsible environmental protection and strong collaboration between the government and the private sector, we can achieve a more reliable energy supply for all Filipinos.
Chairman Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.
Malampaya’s role in the energy matrix
Since its original discovery, Malampaya has been the country’s main source of indigenous natural gas and a mainstay of electricity supply on the island of Luzon. The addition of MAE-1 extends the life of the field and ensures domestic supply for more years to come, at a time when energy demand continues to grow and the global energy transition is underway.
Source: Office of Presidential Communications of the Philippines