HINDI kakayanin ng Philippine National Oil Company Exploration Corporation (PNOC EC), isang government owned at controlled na korporasyon, na i-take over ang Malampaya Natural Gas facility, paggigiit ng Department of Energy (DOE).
Ito ay sa panahon na mapapaso ang kontrata ng 2 private contractors sa 2024 para sa produksiyon ng Malampaya gas field.
Ayon kay Energy Secretary Raphael Lotilla, limitado lamang ang kakayahan ng PNOC EC kung ikukumpara aniya sa mga pribadong kompanya.
“We know very well the limitations of government owned and controlled corporations. One of them is that they do not have the same flexibility as private companies. For example they will have to go by all the requirements of the government procurement rules. And we have seen that this is a major limiting factor for operating a project as huge as Malampaya,” saad ni Sec. Raphael P.M. Lotilla, Department of Energy.
Isa rin sa nakikitang limitasyon ni Lotilla ay kakayahan ng POC-EC na magkaroon ng kinakailangan na sapat na pondo.
Dagdag pa ng kalihim na hindi na nila kakayanin pang maghintay ng 2024 para ituloy ang produksiyon ng Malampaya gas field.
“The other consideration of course, we want the drilling to start as soon as possible. We cannot wait for 2024. Because if it takes two or three years, three to four years to drill successfully and then get the gas flowing, and we would start only in 2024, what is going to happen? Then we would have lost a lot of time,” dagdag ni Lotilla.
Kaya binigyang-diin ng DOE ang kahalagahan ng pag-renew sa Malampaya Service Contract No. 38 o SC 38 na inaprubahan ni Pangulong Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. kamakailan.
“The renewal how it affects the ordinary people. As you all know, our Malampaya Gas goes directly to power generation. So in order to ensure the stability of the generation of this power units using our own has, we have to do this renewal contract. Because there is still gas remaining in the field. And the projection it will last until early part of 2027,” ayon kay Usec. Alessandro Sales.
Dagdag pa ni Usec. Alessandro Sales na ang pagproduce ng indigenous gas ay mas mura kung ikukumpara sa pag-import ng liquefied natural gas.
“Now making use of our indigenous gas ensures that portion of the supply. And as well moderates the pricing because indigenous gas production as it is pipe is always going to be cheaper than imported LNG (liquefied natural gas),” ayon pa kay Sales.
Batay sa pinirmahang kontrata, nadagdagan ng panibagong 15 taon o tatagal na hanggang Ferbuary 22, 2039 ang Malampaya Service Contract No. 38.
Sa ilalim ng SC 38, nire-require ang Malampaya Consortium na magsagawa ng geological at geophysical studies at ang pagbabarena ng hindi bababa sa dalawang deep water well sa panahon ng Sub-Phase 1 mula 2024 hanggang 2029.
Ang Malampaya gas field ay nagsu-supply ng 20 porsiyento ng power requirement ng Pilipinas.
Batay sa pagtataya ng DOE, nasa 210 billion cubic feet pa ang makukuhang gas sa nasabing gas field.
