BBM: New Gas Discovery Near Malampaya

19 January 2026, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig — As announced earlier today by His Excellency, President Ferdinand R. "Bongbong" Marcos Jr., a new natural gas resource near the Malampaya Deepwater Gas-to-Power Project in offshore Palawan has been discovered.

The newly drilled well, Malampaya East 1 (MAE 1), is situated approximately five kilometers east of the existing Malampaya field and is the most recent major gas discovery in the Philippines. As the last comparable discovery was made nearly a decade ago, MAE 1 marks a critical milestone in sustaining domestic gas supply and strengthening the country's long-term energy security.

Initial estimates place the volume of gas in place at approximately 98 billion cubit feet, equivalent to around 14 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity annually. This output is sufficient to power up to 5.7 million households or approximately 200,000 schools for one year. The well also contains condensate, a commercially valuable liquid hydrocarbon.

MAE 1 is the first major success under the Malampaya Phase 4 Drilling Campaign, which began in late 2025. Two additional wells, Camago 3 and Bagong Pag-asa 1, are next in line for drilling, with the consortium maintaining a positive outlook on their potential.

The discovery was achieved through the collaborative efforts of the SC 38 Consortium, composed of Prime Energy, UC 38, PNOC EC, and Prime Oil and Gas, Inc. Service Contract 38 has been extended until 2039 under the authority of President Marcos.

PNOC EC has been a member of the SC 38 Consortium since December 1999. Since the start of production in 2001, the Malampaya Project has generated more than US$13 billion in revenues for the National Government and currently supplies up to 30 percent of Luzon's electricity requirements.