Malampaya demonstrates reliability, resilience as ‘Aghon’ shuts down coal, LNG plants

The Malampaya gas field powering 20 percent of Luzon through indigenous natural gas demonstrated anew its reliability and resilience in times of natural disasters, as Typhoon Aghon caused a substantial decrease in available power supply.

Malampaya remained 100 percent available to supply gas-fired power plants on demand during the onslaught of Typhoon Aghon.

“Prime Energy and its partners in the Malampaya consortium remain committed to supporting the Department of Energy’s (DOE) drive to keep the grid stable by ensuring uninterrupted operations and fuel supply to power generators during extreme weather,” said Donnabel Kuizon Cruz, Managing Director and General Manager of Prime Energy Resources Development B.V.

According to the DOE, several base load power plants were forced to shut down due to inability to operate under inclement weather. The 1,200 MW Ilijan power plant lost its source of fuel, LNG, as its Floating Storage Unit (FSU) had to be unberthed and relocated for safety reasons.

Pagbilao Units 1, 2, and 3; Masinloc; SPBL; and Botocan coal-fired power plants with a total of 1,995 MW were shut down due to the typhoon.

The significant loss of power capacity led to a call by DOE Secretary Raphael Lotilla to minimize the use of electricity in Luzon, following the red alert notice of the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP).

The world-class Malampaya infrastructure is designed to operate safely in adverse weather conditions, demonstrating its unique capability to consistently supply gas to power plants and help assure Filipino consumers of stable and reliable electricity, regardless of the weather.

“Malampaya will always be ready to provide reliable natural gas. This situation demonstrates the critical role Malampaya plays in the nation’s energy security,” emphasized Cruz.

During the peak of yellow and red alerts in April, Malampaya exceeded its normal supply capacity to enable maximum power generation from its customers.

Prime Energy, a wholly owned subsidiary of Prime Infra, is set to inject up to USD$800 million to extend the life of Malampaya by drilling two Deepwater development wells in the Camago and Malampaya East fields, as well as a third exploration well, Bagong Pagasa.