DOE Petroleum Contracting Roadshow Goes to Palawan

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Department of Energy Assistant Secretary Caron Lascano delivers her opening remarks during the local road show of the Philippine Conventional Energy Contracting Program for Petroleum at The Legend Palawan Hotel on Thursday, 20 September 2018.

The PCECP local road show for petroleum aims to assist the country attain its goal of energy self-sufficiency by introducing its new contracting program for exploration and development investment opportunities.

Following the kick-off of the Philippine Conventional Energy Contracting Program (PCECP) international roadshow in Singapore last month, the Department of Energy (DOE) geared up even further and conducted the first of its three local roadshows yesterday (20 September) in Puerto Princesa City, Palawan.

“The DOE is actively promoting the PCECP as it will ensure both the energy security and self-sufficiency of our country. Our petroleum exploration and development activities have been feeble, considering our last major find was made a decade ago,” Energy Secretary Alfonso G. Cusi said.

DOE officials and members of the DOE-Energy Resource Development Bureau gave the roadshow participants an overview of the country’s upstream petroleum industry, the PCECP and its application process, as well as the benefits to be reaped from hosting energy exploration and development projects.

The PCECP is the DOE’s revised and transparent petroleum service contract awarding mechanism that would allow investors to bid for exploration projects through the competitive selection process or by nomination.

Previously, prospective investors could only develop petroleum exploration and development projects within the 14 Pre-Determined Areas (PDA) identified by the DOE. These 14 PDAs are composed of onshore and offshore sites located in the Cagayan Basin (one area), Eastern Palawan (three areas), Sulu (three areas), Agusan-Davao (two areas), Cotabato (one area) and in Western Luzon (four areas).

Under the PCECP, investors would now be able to develop locations other than those on the PDA list by nominating their areas of interest, subject to the approval by the DOE.

The event was attended by over 120 participants, comprised of petroleum service contractors, Sangguniang Panlalawigan Board Members, petroleum engineering students of Palawan State University, as well as representatives from the Philippine Coast Guard, local government units of Palawan, Department of Interior and Local Government–Palawan, Department of Environment and Natural Resources-Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Office and the Philippine Navy.

The next roadshows are scheduled to be held in Davao next week (27 September) and in Zamboanga next month (October).

The PCECP will be formally launched in November. 

Interested parties may contact:
DOE Undersecretary Donato D. Marcos
(+632) 892-7880
uddm7@yahoo.com

ERDB OIC-Director Melita V. Obillo
melita.obillo@doe.gov.ph

ERDB Supervising Science Research Specialist Demujin F. Antiporda
demujin.antiporda@doe.gov.ph