Malampaya consortium nears Phase 3 dev’t

MANILA, Philippines - The consortium behind the $1.2-billion Malampaya deep water gas-to-power project said it is undaunted by the alleged misuse of the billion-peso royalty funds from the project by businesswoman Janet Lim Napoles in connivance with some lawmakers.

On Friday, the consortium moved a step closer in implementing the third phase of the Malampaya project through the formal opening of a facility that would sustain the competencies of its workers.

Energy Secretary Carlos Jericho Petilla said the facility would sustain the development of the project.

The goal of the facility is to significantly raise the health, safety, security and environment standards of workers employed by the fabrication yard and offshore execution work of the project’s next phase of development, Malampaya Phase 3 (MP3).

The MP3 involves the design, fabrication and installation of a depletion compression platform (DCP) to sustain gas production of the Malampaya gas field.

“The opening of the Malampaya Healthy, Safety, Security and Environment (HSSE) Training Center is yet again a milestone that will usher a new chapter in Malampaya’s fruitful history. The Department of Energy recognizes how important it is to have a pool of dependable and knowledgeable co-workers, especially in this industry, who can execute their task with confidence and limited supervision. I am certain that through the opening of this center, we can produce more energy industry workers that understand the precepts of their labors and realize their importance in sustaining the success of the Malampaya project,” Petilla said.

According to Malampaya HSSE chief Neil Burton, the project would help raise standards in the local workforce.

“Apart from the immediate training needs of the project, our long-term vision is to raise the benchmark of HSSE in the local workforce and help enhance employment opportunities both here and abroad. The Malampaya training center brings us a step closer towards our sustainable development goals and leave behind a lasting legacy that will continue to empower people,” he said.

A joint undertaking between the Philippine government and the private sector, the Malampaya project is spearheaded by the Department of Energy, and developed and operated by Shell Philippines Exploration B.V. (Spex) on behalf of joint venture partners Chevron Malampaya LLC and the Philippine National Oil Co.-Exploration Corp. (PNOC-EC).

The project, which commenced in October 2001, is covered by Service Contract 38 and involves the production of natural gas to fuel three gas-fired power stations with a combined capacity of 2,700 megawatts.