MANILA - Officials of the Department of Energy, as well as Prime Infrastructure Capital Inc, visited the Malampaya Deep Water Gas-to-Power Project's shallow water platform last Dec. 8 to assess conditions and ensure sustainability, the Enrique Razon-led firm said on Tuesday.

Prime Infra in November said its subsidiary Prime Energy has completed the acquisition of a 45-percent operating stake in Malampaya gas project operator. It then assumed full ownership of Shell Philippines Exploration B.V (SPEX) which was renamed to Prime Energy Resources Development B.V. (Prime Energy).

Malampaya is located about 50 km offshore from Palawan. The shallow water platform is the part of the facility that processes the gas that will subsequently be exported through a 504-km underwater pipeline, Prime Infra said.

“Given the urgency to sustain the operations of Malampaya at a time of great energy insecurity, this visit by the DOE officials with the Prime Infra Group to the shallow water platform is timely and necessary," Prime Infra President and CEO Guillaume Lucci said.

Prime Infra said it is committed to delivering outstanding operations and "further the potential" of SC38, which covers the Malampaya, "to ensure continuity of gas production as long as the reserves can accommodate it."

"We aim to contribute by doing all that can be done to generate as much power as possible to keep up with the energy demands in Luzon. The most important thing to do for the company right now is to sustain and expand gas production while we address the license extension for SC38,” Lucci said.

Energy Secretary Raphael Lotilla interacted with the all-Filipino team during the visit, Prime Infra said.

“I am happy to have visited the Malampaya platform and to have met personally the all-Filipino professional team that has maintained the facility in good condition for the benefit of a generation of Filipinos. I look forward to the facility’s serving future generations of Filipinos," Lotilla said.

Malampaya has helped reduce oil imports by harnessing indigenous natural gas. It has also generated revenues for the government amounting to over P1 trillion, Prime Infra said.

Malampaya has powered up to 20 percent of Luzon's total electricity requirement since 2001, it added. The consortium's license for the project is set to expire in 2024.

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