PUERTO PRINCESA CITY, Palawan — A Pilipinas Shell Foundation, Inc. (PSFI) official on Friday said the Philippines is not fast-paced in terms of energy source exploration, which might lead to energy supply constraints in the coming years.
Jeri Abenoja, research and communications officer of PSFI, said that in European countries, the exploration of potential sources is being maximized to make them energy self-sufficient.
Abenoja said by 2040, energy demands will quadruple and that is why the country has to explore more possible sources.
“We don’t have any campaign for more exploration. We need to explore more on gas reserves. Bedrocks have reserves, but exploration is not being done,” he told an estimated 400 engineering students who completed the two-day 1st Philippine Oil and Gas Students Summit here.
The summit, themed “Fronting Energy Innovation, Optimizing Energy Solutions”, was sponsored by the Malampaya Joint Venture Partners (MJVP) and the PSFI.
The summit, which ended Friday, aimed to prepare them to face future energy issues.
Abenoja said participants came from Palawan State University, Adamson University-Manila, Batangas State University, and Indonesia’s Universitas Gadja Mada.
“We wanted to inspire young petroleum engineers because we saw that in the Philippines, there seems to be limited career growth for them. So, we’re introducing innovative approaches for them to continue their passion to pursue career growth,” he said.
The engineering students, he said, can help in the future by exploring and making technological invocations in oil and gas, and different energy sources, such as hydro, solar and wind.
“This is our challenge to them – how can they help the Philippines in terms of energy problems, not only in oil and gas but also other innovative approaches. And we’re also rallying them to help call for more explorations,” Abenoja said. (PNA)
