cover story
Malampaya now provides 40-50% of Luzon's power generation needs from clean natural gas.
M A L A M PAYA
A Decade of Powering a Nation In 1989, the discovery of Camago, a small gas reservoir off northwest Palawan, became the starting point of a decade-long journey of resilience, perseverance, and innovation. Today, the Malampaya Deep Water Gas-to-Power project fuels 40-50% of Luzon, largely contributing to the country’s energy independence. The Beginnings In 1980, the Camago structure was discovered in the area of petroleum service contract 38 (SC 38) by Occidental Petroleum Philippines. Corazon Aquino was President, and it was the year the country would face the most serious coup attempt
14 SHELL WORLD PHILIPPINES
against this historic and widely revered but fragile government. Shell Philippines Exploration, B.V. (SPEX) acquired a 50% participating interest in SC 38 in 1990 and joined the search for hydrocarbon reserves in the
same area. Despite the country’s economic growth being hampered by political instability and a series of natural disasters like the Mt. Pinatubo eruption, a milestone discovery was made beneath the waters offshore of Palawan— connected to the Camago