Prime Energy has achieved the Malampaya Phase 4 first gas milestone offshore Palawan in the Philippines, bringing two deepwater wells drilled by the drillship Noble Viking into the existing Malampaya production system.
The Malampaya East-1 and Camago-3 wells are estimated to add 222 billion cubic feet (Bcf) of recoverable natural gas. The development involved drilling the two wells and installing new subsea infrastructure to connect them to the existing offshore production facilities.
Noble Corporation’s drillship Noble Viking carried out the drilling campaign, marking the Philippines’ first offshore drilling programme in more than a decade.
The two wells were successfully drilled and tested during the first quarter of 2026, with connections to the existing subsea production system completed in June.
Earlier testing at Camago-3 confirmed additional gas resources, as previously reported by HMT News.
The new production flows through the existing Malampaya facilities and subsea transmission pipeline to the onshore gas plant in Batangas, which supplies gas-fired power plants serving the Luzon electricity grid.
First gas was marked at a ceremony on 5 November 2026 at the Malampaya Onshore Gas Plant in Batangas City, attended by Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., government officials and Service Contract 38 (SC 38) joint venture partners.
The project required an investment of close to $1 billion and reached first gas 27 months after the final investment decision, approximately five months ahead of its original schedule.
According to Prime Energy’s official project announcement, the development involved an international supply chain spanning 17 countries. Equipment and components supplied for the project included subsea production systems, pipelines, umbilicals, valves and wellhead equipment.
Initial well-test results indicate that the additional resources could extend Malampaya’s productive life by approximately six years, depending on future gas offtake.
The operator plans to continue integrating the new wells and increasing production over the coming months. Sustainable production levels will be established as further operating data become available.
Malampaya has been producing natural gas since 2001. Its SC 38 service contract was extended in May 2023 for another 15 years, through February 2039.
