By Myrna Velasco
September 16, 2013
Extractable gas reserves at the Malampaya field could still yield additional 200 megawatts, including the ‘banked gas’ component held by the Philippine National Oil Company.
This was disclosed to media by Shell Philippines Exploration B.V. Managing Director Sebastian Quinones, stressing that from the outcome of their own technical assessment of the reserves, the Malampaya consortium could still provide additional 100MW.
“Currently, we are confident for 100MW. And the banked gas, that could be another 100MW,” he stressed.
Beyond 2015 which is the completion timeframe for the phases 2 and 3 of the Malampaya investments, Quinones noted that gas extraction from the field will be reinforced, hence, it will be easier for the consortium to meet the supply for the additional 100MW as well as that on the banked gas.
Technically, the banked gas is being stored in the Malampaya reservoir; and the consortium-members under Service Contract (SC) 38 will have to make it available once called upon by PNOC – the buyer of the banked gas from state-run National Power Corporation (NPC) through the Department of Energy.
Prospects for additional gas recovery from the field, Quinones emphasized, has been their justification for an application of 15-year license extension with the Philippine government, although the latter has some reservations over it.
Aside from Dutch firm Spex, the other interest-holders in the $4.5-billion Malampaya deep water gas-to-power project are American firm Chevron Malampaya LLC and state-owned Philippine National Oil Company-Exploration Corporation.
The ‘banked gas’ resulted from lower utilization of the fuel by NPC for the 1,200-megawatt Ilijan gas plant, especially when the Malampaya field was at its initial years of commercial production.
Based on plans crafted by the energy department, the banked gas has to be utilized for additional power capacity upon the commercial operation of the PNOC-led Batangas-Manila pipeline project as targeted by 2015.
The power facility that will use it is envisioned as the anchor load of the 105-kilometer high-pressure gas pipeline project.
It is the wish of the government to expand the downstream market for gas to non-power segments such as industries, the transport sector and eventually smaller-scale end-users like households. source
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