Malampaya ops run non-stop

April 5, 2020 02:20 AM By Maria Romero
https://tribune.net.ph/index.php/2020/04/05/malampaya-ops-run-non-stop/

Despite workforce mobility threats posed by the enhanced community quarantine against coronavirus disease (COVID-19), operations of the Malampaya deep-water gas-to-power project (Malampaya) continues to run at full gear to ensure sufficient supply in Luzon.

This was according to Malampaya operator Shell Philippines Exploration BV (SPEx), which said the uninterrupted operations of the gas field in offshore Palawan sustain the needs of hospitals and vital facilities in the region.

Cesar Romero, Shell companies in the Philippines Chairman, said the country needs sufficient energy supply to combat the dreaded viral disease.

Stringent measures
“We need power to keep hospitals running; sustain the operations of pharmacies, banks, groceries, and other vital facilities; enable internet services that keep us connected; and to light our households,” Romero said.

According to SPEx, stringent measures are in place to protect their engineers, operators, and maintenance crew as they are still being regularly rotated and flown offshore to the platform.

SPEX Managing Director and General Manager Don Paulino said the SPEx coordinated with the Department of Energy to enable critical personnel to ferried to the offshore platform, as well as the needed materials and supplies to safely operate and maintain the facility.

Commitment remains
“We’ve taken measures to ensure that we can keep the offshore platform and the onshore gas plant staffed even with the current, difficult circumstances,” Paulino said.

“Our commitment to the country remains, our operations will work round-the-clock to produce Malampaya natural gas and power up to 40 percent of Luzon’s electricity,” he added.

The Malampaya power plants with a total generating capacity of 2,700 megawatts. It provides up to 30 percent of the power generation needs of Luzon.

Connected to onshore gas plants in Batangas, the Malampaya offshore facility in Northern Palawan was inaugurated in 2001.

Estimates showed the Malampaya gas field reserves are sufficient until 2022 to 2024.