Gatchalian seeking Malampaya options

By Manila Standard Business – January 04, 2021 at 06:50 pm

Senator Win Gatchalian has set in motion the Senate deliberations on a measure that will further develop the natural gas industry, providing for a replacement of the Malampaya deep water gas-to-power project even before its supply runs out to avert possible rotational brownouts beginning 2022.

He said Senate Bill No. 1819 was introduced in anticipation of the nearing depletion of gas output from Malampaya-Camago wells, adding natural gas was a good transition fuel. The Senate Energy Committee chaired by Gatchalian will conduct its first Senate hearing on the proposed measure today.

“The output of the gas will start going down by 2024. The direction of the Department of Energy (DOE) is to encourage the private sector to build receiving terminals for imported liquefied natural gas (LNG),” he said.

“And because we haven’t discovered new sources of gas in our country, we have to resort to importing LNG just to make sure that those 3,200-megawatt gas-fired power plants keep on running,” said Gatchalian.