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Malampaya Shallow Water Platform.  Handou

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Malampaya

Alvin Elchico

ABS-CBN News

MANILA -- It will take almost a year to produce actual natural gas from the new reservoir discovered near the Malampaya facility.Energy Undersecretary Alessandro Sales explained that experts from the operator Prime Energy will first need to build the pipes that will connect the well to the production facilities to extract the natural gas that will fuel various power plants in Batangas.That work 1,000 meters from the surface takes time, including testing, so the actual extraction and flow of natural gas from the discovery will likely happen by the end of 2026 or early 2027.&quot;Isipin mo na lang na magtatrabaho ka sa ganun kalalim na dagat, lahat ng trabaho sa ilalim ng dagat at ang lalim ng dagat 1,000 meters so talagang ingat ang kailangan,&quot; Sales said.But he added there is also great potential in the two other sites - the Camago 3 and Bagong Pag-asa wells, which are within Service Contract 38.For Camago 3, there is a potential haul of 100 to 110 billion cubic feet of natural gas, while the Bagong Pag-asa, in case it has a natural gas deposit, would probably reach around 400 to 800 billion cubic feet of fuel.The Bagong Pag-asa field, Sales said, is around 50 kilometers from the current Malampaya facility and remains free from any drilling activity.&quot;Kailangan pag-aralan paano maikakabit, dahil medyo malayo at magkano ang magagastos kung ikakabit po natin kapag magkaroon ng discovery ulit dyan sa Bagong Pag-asa,&quot; said Sales.Aside from the seas of Palawan, the DOE is also keen on the prospects of gas reserves in Sulu Sea, where 5 service contracts were awarded last year.<div>&#x27;NATGAS IS NOT CHEAP FOR CONSUMERS&#x27;</div>Consumer group NASECORE meanwhile said consumers should not expect electricity prices to go down with the discovery of a natural gas reservoir. Power4People Coalition convenor Gerry Arances said prices of fossil fuels like natural gas are pegged to world market prices.Arances said Meralco contracts with natural gas-run plants have pushed up prices in recent years due to higher prices on the world market. The group said the government should focus more on renewable energy sources like wind and solar to bring down the prices of electricity to P2-P3/kilowatt-hourSales said the DOE prioritizes renewable energy, but it needs natural gas to bridge the gap as renewable sources bring an intermittent supply affected by nature.&quot;In fact ang number 1 priority natin sa DOE ay itulak ang renewable energy pero dapat po maging pragmatic tayo. Ang renewable energy na wind and solar ay tinatawag na variable dahil sa ihip ng hangin at sikat ng araw ay hindi naman constant,&quot; he noted.<div>SECURITY ASSURED</div>The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) has assured heightened security measures for Malampaya East-1 (MAE-1) following the discovery of natural gas in the area.PCG spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea Commodore Jay Tarriela said the agency will “strategically deploy” its assets, including 97-meter and 44-meter vessels, as well as aircraft, to protect the newly discovered gas field.“The PCG, the AFP [Armed Forces of the Philippines], the DOE [Department of Energy], and the PNOC [Philippine National Oil Company] are all collaborating to ensure na mas makahanap tayo ng areas na ito sa West Philippine Sea,” Tarriela told reporters in an interview on Monday.MAE-1 is located around five kilometers from the existing Malampaya platform.Tarriela said the PCG will realign its assets to ensure constant presence in the area.“The PCG will be more proactive. We will be strategically deploying and realigning our assets para maprotektahan ang MAE-1,” Tarriela said.The official went on, “Magre-realign tayo ng vessel(s) primarily focusing on Malampaya. For the commandant of the PCG, this is our topmost priority.”

It will take almost a year to produce actual natural gas from the new reservoir discovered near the Malampaya facility.

It will take almost a year to produce actual natural gas from the new reservoir discovered near the Malampaya facility.

Natural gas extraction from new Malampaya find seen to take at least a year

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Natural gas extraction from new Malampaya find seen to take at least a year

Alvin Elchico,

ABS-CBN News

Published January 20, 2026 03:13 PM PHT

Read More:

malampaya

natural gas

department of energy

energy prices

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