Philippines’ new gas find fuels energy diversification hopes

South China Morning PostCenter-RightEN 1 min read 100% complete by Sam BeltranJanuary 23, 2026 at 01:00 AM

AI Summary

short article 1 min

The Philippines has announced a significant natural gas discovery at the Malampaya East-1 (MAE-1) well, located near the existing Malampaya gas field off the coast of Palawan. President Marcos Jr. stated that the well contains an estimated 98 billion cubic feet of gas, potentially generating 15 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity annually. The MAE-1 project is led by the Service Contract 38 consortium, spearheaded by Prime Energy, in partnership with other local and international energy firms. The discovery, the first in over a decade, is hoped to boost the country's energy diversification efforts by reducing reliance on coal and oil. The volume of gas discovered is equivalent to about one-third of the remaining volumes in the Malampaya gas field.

Key Entities & Roles

Key Player Opposition Context

Kuwait 40% UC38 50% Prime Oil and Gas Inc 50% PNOC Exploration Corporation 50% Enrique Razon 60% Palawan 60% Prime Energy ×270% Malampaya gas field ×270% Malampaya East-1 ×480% Ferdinand Marcos Jnr ×380% Philippines 90%

Keywords

natural gas discovery 100% energy diversification 80% malampaya gas field 70% fossil fuel 60% energy mix 60% prime energy 50% gas production 50% philippines 40%

Sentiment Analysis

Positive

Score: 0.40

Source Transparency

Source

South China Morning Post

Political Lean

Center-Right (0.50)

Far LeftCenterFar Right

Classification Confidence

90%

Geographic Perspective

Philippines

This article was automatically classified using rule-based analysis. The political bias score ranges from -1 (far left) to +1 (far right).

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natural gas discovery energy diversification malampaya gas field fossil fuel energy mix prime energy gas production philippines

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