In a significant development for the nation's energy independence, President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. has announced a major new natural gas discovery adjacent to the country's flagship Malampaya field. The find, hailed as the first of its scale in over a decade, promises to substantially extend the Philippines' domestic gas supply and fortify its energy security for years to come.
A New Reservoir for National Power
The President revealed the discovery in a video message on Monday, January 19, 2026. The new reservoir, named Malampaya East One (MAE-1), is situated approximately five kilometers east of the existing Malampaya production platform off the coast of Palawan. Initial estimates indicate the reservoir holds an impressive 98 billion cubic feet of natural gas in place.
To put this volume into perspective, President Marcos stated this resource is equivalent to generating about 14 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity per year. This annual output is sufficient to supply power to an estimated 5.7 million Filipino households, 9,600 buildings, or close to 200,000 schools nationwide.
"This helps Malampaya’s contribution and strengthens our domestic gas supply for many years to come," the President emphasized, underscoring the strategic importance of the find.
High Productivity and Filipino-Led Success
Early testing results from the MAE-1 well have been highly promising. The well flowed at a rate of 60 million cubic feet per day, demonstrating productivity levels that are comparable to the original, highly productive wells in the main Malampaya field. Beyond natural gas, the discovery also yielded condensate, a valuable liquid fuel that can further aid in stabilizing the country's power supply.
President Marcos took special pride in highlighting that the drilling operation was spearheaded by Filipino expertise and was completed without any reported accidents or environmental incidents. "Ipinagmamalaki rin natin na Pilipino ang nanguna sa drilling na ito. Natapos nila ito nang walang aksidente o environmental incident," he stated.
Extending the Life of a Critical Energy Asset
The MAE-1 discovery represents the first successful milestone under the broader Malampaya Phase 4 drilling campaign. This campaign includes additional planned wells such as Camago-2, Camago-3, and Bagong Pag-asa, all aimed at securing more indigenous gas resources for the nation.
The project is being executed by the SC3A consortium, led by Prime Energy in partnership with UC38 PNOC Exploration Corporation and Prime Oil & Gas Inc. The Malampaya Deep Water Gas-to-Power Project is currently the Philippines' sole indigenous source of natural gas, fueling up to 20% of Luzon's electricity requirements.
This new discovery is therefore not just an addition but a vital extension. It is expected to prolong the operational life of the country's primary domestic gas source, thereby reducing dependence on more expensive and volatile imported fuels and providing a more stable foundation for the national grid.
