By Dean Aubrey Caratiquet
The government’s quest for new sources of natural gas reached a significant milestone on Monday, as Malampaya East-1 discovered a reservoir containing approximately 98 billion cubic feet of natural gas 5 kilometers east of the existing Malampaya gas field.
In a video message posted on social media, President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. hailed the significance of this milestone as part of the Malampaya Phase 4 Drilling Project that was conceived in 2024 and began in 2025, with the goal of delivering new gas this year.
President Marcos Jr. expounded, “Makakapagsupply ito ng kuryente sa mahigit 5.7 milyong kabahayan, 9,500 na gusali o halos 200,000 paaralan sa loob ng isang taon. This helps Malampaya’s contribution and strengthens our domestic gas supply for many years to come.”
Apart from a sizeable supply of natural gas that can annually contribute approximately 14 billion KWh of electricity to the power grid, the reservoir was found to also contain pockets of condensate—a high-value liquid that serves as a vital component in the production of fuels (gasoline, diesel, jet fuel) and other petroleum products.
The President concluded his remarks by praising the vast potential of the newly-tapped resource of natural gas, with initial testing revealing that the well flowed at 60 million cubic feet/day, ensuring a stable power supply for Filipinos.
Malampaya Phase 4 also includes the Camago-2 and the Pag-asa exploration wells, with Camago-3 set to undergo completion and testing as of press time.
Altogether, these initiatives are part of the search for more potential gas reserves, further bolstering the contributions of the Malampaya gas field as the lone indigenous resource of natural gas that powers countless homes and establishments across the country.
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