Metro Manila, Philippines – As energy security and costly electricity hound the country, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said the government will revisit nuclear energy and tap more renewable sources to strengthen power supply.
In his State of the Nation Address (SONA), Marcos highlighted the untapped natural gas reserves from the Malampaya gas field, whose service contract has been extended to 2039.
The reserves are expected to support the energy sector until 2034.
“To put it in context, 222 billion cubic feet of natural gas is sufficient to power 1.6 million households for the next eight years until 2034,” said the president.
Fourteen petroleum service contracts have been awarded across different regions — the highest number awarded during a single presidential term, he said.
Four of these contracts are on hydrogen development, which Marcos described as a potential clean fuel source.
“It is also touted as the world’s clean fuel of the future,” he said.
Marcos said hydrogen could serve as “back-up” for power plants and off-grid areas.
Two of the newly awarded petroleum service contracts are co-managed with the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) government.
Meanwhile, Marcos said a number of hydrogen projects are in the pre-development stage in areas such as Marinduque, Masbate, Zamboanga Sibugay, and Basilan,.
“We are confident in its [hydrogen] capacity to reinforce our energy security and bring down the cost of electricity in our country,” said Marcos.
