Philippines Announces Discovery of “Significant” Amount of Natural Gas Off Its Coast

Sana'a: Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos announced on Monday the discovery of a "significant" amount of natural gas near the archipelago's only offshore gas-producing site. Marcos said that approximately 98 billion cubic feet (2.8 billion cubic meters) of natural gas were found five kilometers east of the Malambaya field near Palawan Island, enough to power about 5.7 million homes for a year. According to Yemen News Agency, energy costs in the Philippines are among the highest in the region, and the country faces an impending crisis as the Malambaya gas field, which supplies the large island of Luzon with about 40% of its energy needs, is expected to run dry within a few years. Marcos said the discovery, the first in more than a decade, "reinforces the contribution of the Malambaya field and strengthens our domestic gas supply for many years to come. Initial tests have shown the well is flowing at a rate of 60 million cubic feet per day." The Philippines suffers from frequent power outages and relies o n imported coal for more than half of its energy production. In 2022, then-President Rodrigo Duterte ordered a halt to oil and gas exploration in areas of the South China Sea disputed with China.