PhilStarGlobal-Jan 20
President Marcos yesterday announced the discovery of natural gas at the Malampaya East-1 (MAE-1) well, the first in over a decade. Located five kilometers east of the existing Malampaya gas field, the reservoir is expected to significantly boost the country’s energy supply and reduce reliance on imported fuel. Marcos said the well contained around 98 billion cubic feet of gas in place, equivalent to nearly 14 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity per year. The well can supply electricity to over 5.7 million households, 9,500 buildings or nearly 200,000 schools for a year. Based on initial testing, the well flowed at 60 million cubic feet daily, indicating high productivity comparable to the original Malampaya wells. “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,” Marcos said. Currently, natural gas accounts for around 14 percent of the country’s power generation mix. In Southeast Asia, the Philippines is considered a small player in terms of natural gas production, economist Bienvenido Oplas Jr. said. By comparison, Energy Institute data showed that Malaysia recorded the region’s largest gas production in 2024 at 80.4 billion cubic feet, followed by Indonesia with 71.4 billion cubic feet. Thailand produced 28.5 billion cubic feet, while Vietnam generated 6.1 billion cubic feet. Read more at: https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2026/01/20/2502189/marcos-bares-major-malampaya-gas-find
