MANILA — President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. announced the discovery of a major natural gas field at the Malampaya East 1 (MAE-1) reservoir, the first in more than a decade, which is expected to boost the country’s energy supply and strengthen long-term energy security.

Marcos said the newly discovered reservoir is located around five kilometers east of the existing Malampaya gas field and is estimated to contain about 98 billion cubic feet of gas in place.

“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,” the President said in a message posted on his official social media account.

He said the MAE-1 discovery helps extend Malampaya’s contribution and strengthens the country’s domestic gas supply for many years.

Initial testing showed that the well flowed at 60 million cubic feet per day.

“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.

Aside from natural gas, the discovery also includes condensate, which the President described as a high-value liquid fuel that can support government efforts to stabilize the country’s power supply.

“Ipinagmamalaki rin natin na Pilipino ang nanguna sa drilling na ito. Higit sa lahat, natapos nila ito ng walang aksidente o environmental incident,” he added.

Marcos said MAE-1 is the first milestone under the Malampaya Phase 4 Drilling Campaign, which also includes the Camago-2 and Bagong Pag-asa wells.

Following MAE-1, the next steps involve the completion and testing of Camago-3, followed by the drilling of the Pag-asa exploration well to pursue additional potential gas resources.

The President said the discovery was made possible through the work of the Service Contract 38 Consortium led by Prime Energy Resources Development B.V., in partnership with UC38, PNOC Exploration Corporation, and Prime Oil and Gas Inc.

“Patunay ito na sa responsableng pangangalaga sa kalikasan at matibay na pagtutulungan ng gobyerno at pribadong sektor, makakamit natin ang mas maasahang supply ng enerhiya para sa bawat Pilipino,” Marcos said.

The Malampaya gas field off Palawan has long served as a cornerstone of the country’s energy security, acting as the primary source of indigenous natural gas and a major contributor to Luzon’s power supply.