The Department of Energy (DOE) is betting that better data will lead to bigger energy discoveries as it awarded the first contract under its flagship Philippine Gradiometry and Seismic Survey Project (PGSSP) to Metatek to reduce exploration uncertainty and accelerate investment in indigenous energy resources.

The DOE said Tuesday the contract covers Year 1 of Phase 1 of the four-year project, with Metatek set to acquire, process, and interpret airborne gradiometry data across about 40,000 square kilometers of the Agusan-Davao Basin and Davao Gulf.

The PGSSP, which will run from this year until 2029, is the government's largest effort to build a modern geophysical database for underexplored sedimentary basins.

"Energy security begins with knowing what we have. Through this project, we are replacing guesswork with scientific data so we can responsibly develop our own energy resources and strengthen the country's long-term energy future," Energy Secretary Sharon S. Garin said.

The DOE said the first-year work forms part of a two-year airborne survey program that will map around 120,000 square kilometers before the project moves to its second phase, which involves acquiring, processing, and interpreting two-dimensional seismic data.

By generating modern subsurface information in areas with limited existing data, the agency expects the project to significantly reduce geological uncertainty, improve exploration planning, and strengthen investor confidence in the country's upstream energy sector.

The datasets produced under the PGSSP will also support disaster risk reduction, environmental planning, mineral exploration, and scientific research, creating a long-term national geoscience database.

Metatek is a global geophysical services company specializing in high-definition subsurface mapping for energy resources, including hydrocarbons, helium and hydrogen, as well as strategic and critical minerals.