MANILA — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. announced a major natural gas discovery near the Malampaya field, hailing it as the Philippines’ first significant find in more than 10 years — and a potential game-changer for the country’s energy security.

In a video message shared on social media Monday, Marcos said the newly discovered reservoir, Malampaya East One (MAE-1), lies about five kilometers east of the existing Malampaya gas field and is estimated to contain roughly 98 billion cubic feet of gas in place.

“I am pleased to inform everyone that for the first time in over a decade, a significant natural gas discovery has been made. The discovered reservoir called Malampaya East 1 or MAE-1 is located about 5 kilometers east of the existing Malampaya Field,” Marcos said.

The president noted that the find could translate into massive power output for Filipino homes and institutions. “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,” he said.

“This helps Malampaya’s contribution and strengthens our domestic gas supply for many years to come,” Marcos added.

Initial testing showed the well flowing at 60 million cubic feet of gas per day, a level Marcos said rivals the productivity of the original Malampaya wells.

The discovery also yielded condensate, a high-value liquid fuel that could further help stabilize the country’s power supply amid volatile global energy markets.

Marcos also highlighted the project’s all-Filipino leadership.

“Ipinagmamalaki rin natin na Pilipino ang nanguna sa drilling na ito. Natapos nila ito nang walang aksidente o environmental incident,” he said.

MAE-1 marks the first success under the Malampaya Phase 4 drilling campaign, which also includes the Camago-2, Camago-3, and Bagong Pag-asa wells — all aimed at securing additional domestic gas resources.

The project is being carried out by the SC3A consortium, led by Prime Energy, alongside UC38, PNOC Exploration Corporation, and Prime Oil & Gas Inc.

Located off the coast of Palawan, the Malampaya Deep Water Gas-to-Power Project is the Philippines’ only indigenous source of natural gas and currently supplies up to 20% of Luzon’s electricity needs. Officials say the new discovery could extend the field’s life and reduce the country’s dependence on imported fuel.

📷 Presidential Communications Office