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PBBM ANNOUNCES DISCOVERY OF MAJOR NATURAL GAS FIELD IN MALAMPAYA

admin January 19, 2026

PRESIDENT Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. on Monday announced the discovery of a major natural gas field at the Malampaya East 1 (MAE-1) reservoir, the first in over a decade, which is expected to significantly boost the country’s energy supply and strengthen long-term energy security.

President Marcos said the discovered reservoir is located about five kilometers east of the existing Malampaya field and estimated to contain around 98 billion cubic feet of gas in place.

“Katumbas nito ang halos 14 na bilyong kilowatt-hour ng kuryente sa isang taon. Ibig sabihin, makakapag-supply ito ng kuryente sa mahigit 5.7 milyong kabahayan, 9,500 na gusali o halos 200,000 paaralan sa loob ng isang taon,” the President said in a message posted on his official social media account.

President Marcos emphasized that MAE-1 helps Malampaya’s contribution and strengthens the country’s domestic gas supply for many years to come.

Based on initial testing, 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,” the Chief Executive emphasized.

Aside from the natural gas, the discovery also includes condensate, a high-value liquid fuel that can help support the government’s efforts for the stabilization of the country’s power supply,” added the President.

“Ipinagmamalaki rin natin na Pilipino ang nanguna sa drilling na ito. Higit sa lahat, natapos nila ito ng walang aksidente o environmental incident,” added the President.

MAE-1 is the first milestone under the Malampaya Phase 4 Drilling Campaign, which also includes the Camago-2 and the Bagong Pag-asa wells,” noted the President.

After the MAE-1, the next steps are the completion and testing of the Camago-3, followed by the drilling of the Pag-asa exploration well to pursue more potential gas resources.

The Chief Executive said the achievement was made possible through the work of the SC 38 Consortium led by Prime Energy Resources Development B.V. in partnership with UC38, PNOC Exploration Corporation, and Prime Oil and Gas Inc.

“Patunay ito na sa responsableng pangangalaga sa kalikasan at matibay na pagtutulungan ng gobyerno at pribadong sektor, makakamit natin ang mas maasahang supply ng enerhiya para sa bawat Pilipino,” President Marcos concluded.

The Malampaya gas field off Palawan has long been a cornerstone of the country’s energy security, serving as the primary source of indigenous natural gas and a vital contributor to Luzon’s power supply.