MALAMPAYA: THE FUTURE OF

ENERGY NOW
Jun 29, 2015

More than a decade after its inception, Malampaya continues to provide a

stable supply of energy, meeting close to 40 percent of Luzon's power needs

Whenever a Filipino turns the lights on, an island of steel and concrete
located some 80 kilometres northwest of Palawan is constantly at work,
providing clean, reliable, and naturally abundant fuel that is converted to
electricity.

This powerhouse is the Malampaya Deep Water Gas-to-Power Project, or

more commonly referred to as simply Malampaya. The first of its kind in the
Philippines, it heralded the birth of the natural gas industry in the country.
The project saves the government billions of pesos from the importation of
expensive oil abroad in order to fuel power plants and generate electricity.

Since its inception in 2001, Malampaya has been providing a stable supply of
energy, meeting 35 to 40 percent of Luzon’s power needs.

Malampaya derives natural gas from the Camago-Malampaya reservoir, a

gigantic reserve of natural gas discovered in 1992 by Shell Philippines
Exploration B.V. (SPEX). The natural gas flows through wells before
arriving at the production platform, where it is separated from water and
condensate, which is a high-quality byproduct. The dry natural gas then
traverses a 504-kilometer subsea pipeline to fuel three power stations in
Batangas.

In the early 1990s, experts estimated that the reservoir will be able to provide
natural gas for the Philippines’ requirements in the next two decades, given
that pressure in the gas field naturally decreases over time. As such, from the
onset of the Malampaya project, operator SPEX was already cognisant of
addressing the depleting gas pressure of the reservoir and maximising the
harnessed power.
Continuing phases

As part of the original field development plan of 1998, additional two phases
of the Malampaya project had already been put in place. Execution of
Malampaya Phase 2 (MP2) was completed in 2013 with the drilling of two
new production wells. Meanwhile, the current Malampaya Phase 3 (MP3)
entails the design, fabrication, and installation of a second Malampaya
offshore platform. This Depletion Compression Platform (DCP), in
combination with the two new wells, will sustain the gas output of the site for
many more years.

February 2015 finally saw the completion of the fabrication and tow-out of
the Malampaya DCP, marking another historical milestone for the country
being the first oil and gas platform designed and constructed in the
Philippines.

It was designed by locally based contractor Fluor Philippines and built at the
Keppel Shipyard in Subic, Zambales. The construction of the DCP was done
over a period of two years with a team of more than 1,200 workers, and
completed with an impressive safety record of nine million safe man hours.

Workers tapped for the construction underwent mandatory training to build

their competencies up to world-class oil and gas industry Health, Safety, and
Environment (HSE) standards. These were carried out at the dedicated
Malampaya HSE Training Center, which has so far upgraded the skills and
technical know-how of more than 9,000 Filipino workers to OPITO
(Offshore Petroleum Industry Training Organization) international standards.

A source of national pride

As such, the MP3 has truly placed the Philippines in the world map of oil and
gas platform fabrication, demonstrating the excellent technical capability of
Filipinos. This competitive edge is important in opening up possibilities for
future oil and gas projects in the regional and global scope.

To further contribute to the economic development of the country, Shell

adhered to a Local Content Development Policy, which requires the
utilization of local materials, equipment, and manpower in the exploration,
development, manufacturing, distribution, and sale of Philippine crude oil,
gas, and its products. Shell Philippines ensures that it conducts all of its
endeavours for the sustainable growth of the local oil and gas industry
without compromising business principles, quality, health, safety, and
environmental standards.

The inclusive growth that MP3 brings extends not only to those directly
involved in its construction and operations, but to nearby communities and
residents as well. The Malampaya consortium, through its social arm
Malampaya Foundation Inc. (MFI), has implemented various social
investment programmes in Subic, where the DCP was constructed. These
programmes are centred on building capacity on enterprise development,
road safety, and disaster preparedness to empower and uplift the lives of
stakeholders even long after the project is completed.

It takes precision and careful planning to build a gas platform. The design,
fabrication, tie-in, commissioning, and startup of the Malampaya DCP
demonstrate Filipino talent at its finest. The structure is built to withstand the
strongest storms, earthquakes, and huge waves despite its precarious position
in a double-disaster zone—the typhoon belt of the Pacific Ocean and the
volcano cluster known as the Pacific Ring of Fire.

With the MP3 in its final stages, the Malampaya consortium is now focused
on the hookup and commissioning of the new platform to the existing one.
When complete, it will maximize extraction from the Malampaya gas field
and sustain the country’s energy self-sufficiency. Most importantly, the new
offshore platform is a symbol of the Filipinos’ “can-do” spirit to deliver a
world-class technical and engineering project.

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Maria Cristina Falls

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Maria Cristina Falls

The waterfall is the site

of NAPOCOR's hydroelectric project that generates 70%
of Mindanao's electricity

Location within the Philippines

Location Iligan City, Mindanao, Philippines

 Coordinates
8°10′59.38″N124°11′42.14″ECoordinates:
8°10′59.38″N 124°11′42.14″E

Type Plunge

Total height 98 m (321.5 ft)

Number of 2
drops

Longest 98 m (321.5 ft)

drop

Watercourse Agus River

Average 130 m3 (4,600 cu ft)

flow rate

Maria Cristina Falls is a waterfall of the Agus River on the island of Mindanao in the Philippines. It
is sometimes called the "twin falls" as the flow is separated by a rock at the brink of the waterfall.[1] It
is a landmark of Iligan City, nicknamed the City of Majestic Waterfalls, because of the presence of
more than 20 waterfalls in the city.[2] It is located 9.3 kilometers away southwest of the city proper at
the boundaries of Barangays Maria Cristina, Ditucalan, and Buru-un.[2] Known for its natural
grandeur, the 320 - feet (98 meters) high waterfall[3] is also the primary source of electric power for
the city's industries, being harnessed by the Agus VI Hydroelectric Plant.[4]

Agus VI hydroelectric plant[edit]

Maria Cristina Falls powers the Agus VI Hydroelectric Plant, one of the several hydroelectric plants
that harness Agus River. The power plant has a 200 MW potential capacity[4] supplied by a water
flow of about 130 cubic meters per second.[2]
Agus VI is operated by the National Power Corporation and was commissioned on May 31,
1953.[5] Under President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo's Mindanao Super Region development plan, the
Agus VI is planned to undergo a 1.856-billion-peso upgrading project.[6]