Photo: Malampaya Onshore Gas Plant in Tabangao, Batangas
Prime Energy, operator of Service Contract No. 38, has completed the maintenance turnaround of the Malampaya Deep Water Gas-to-Power Project, restoring indigenous gas production and paving the way for the startup of new wells under the Malampaya Phase 4 (MP4) project.
Gas delivery resumed at 0001H on July 15 as planned after the successful month-long turnaround which enabled routine maintenance works and completion of key upgrades across Malampaya’s offshore and onshore facilities.
The turnaround covered works at the Shallow Water Platform (SWP) in northwest Palawan and the Onshore Gas Plant (OGP) in Tabangao, Batangas City. In addition to ensuring the reliability and integrity of key production facilities, it also advanced preparations for the integration of the Malampaya East-1 and Camago-3 wells, which are expected to deliver first gas in the fourth quarter of 2026.
The new wells represent one of Malampaya’s most significant infrastructure upgrades in recent years and will strengthen domestic natural gas supply while extending the field’s productive life by up to six years.
“Completing this turnaround safely is essential to maintaining the reliability of Malampaya’s operations and supporting the country’s energy needs,” said Donnabel Kuizon Cruz, President and CEO of Prime Energy. “This activity was also critical to preparing our facilities for the next phase of indigenous gas production so that homes, businesses and industries continue to benefit from a reliable domestic energy source.”
Hundreds of engineers, technicians, offshore specialists, marine crews, and contractors carried out highly complex maintenance, inspection, and engineering activities across offshore facilities, subsea infrastructure and onshore systems. The campaign was completed safely and gas supply was resumed on time despite weather-related challenges.
Throughout the maintenance period, Prime Energy worked closely with the Department of Energy, the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines, and its power generation customers to coordinate the planned outage and implement alternative fuel arrangements.
That close coordination proved particularly important during Super Typhoon Inday (international name: Bavi), when Malampaya provided emergency gas supply to Prime CoreGen power plants after severe weather temporarily disrupted LNG terminal operations, ensuring a seamless fuel transition and preventing a power plant shutdown.
For more than two decades, Malampaya has supplied indigenous natural gas to power plants in Batangas, helping support the country’s energy requirements and reducing dependence on imported fuels.
