President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. on Thursday expressed readiness to partner with China for possible joint oil exploration in the West Philippine Sea (WPS). In a media interview in Quezon City, Marcos broached the idea of exploring other ways to ensure the immediate development of oil and gas resources in the contested waters. Marcos made the remark...

Photo: Philippine Nuclear Research Institute Director Carlo Arcilla. Credit: Philippine News Agency The Philippines is open to nuclear energy negotiations with other countries aside from the United States, an official of the Philippine Nuclear Research Institute (PNRI) said Tuesday. Currently, the country is in discussion with the US for the 123 Agr...

Most industries are dependent on fossil fuels to operate. However, in response to climate change, there is a global trend that encourages countries to join in the energy transition of using green technologies. While in theory, this strategy looks promising and feasible. However, in some countries, like in the Philippines, this is a major challenge. Thi...

Photo: President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. presides over a meeting with Department of Energy officials at Malacañan Palace in Manila on Wednesday (Nov. 19, 2022). They discussed "immediate and medium-term" plans to improve the energy sector. (Photo courtesy of OP) President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. has given his nod to the Department of Energy's plan to e...

Photo credit: BusinessWorld The House Committee on Energy on Thursday formed a technical working group (TWG) to discuss the proposal to pursue the development of the country's natural gas industry, which is a legislative priority of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. In his opening remarks, committee chair and Marinduque Rep. Lord Allan Velasco said ...

“Although there is a seen decrease in the bilateral trade between Germany and the Philippines when comparing the first half of 2022 and 2021 data, it remains to be a major contributor to the latter's trade relations with the EU.” (from GPCCI Market Watch) A quick look at the future: The Philippines is expected to join the free trade agreement -- ...

Photo credit: Department of Energy Cagayan de Oro City 2nd District Rep. Rufus Rodriguez on Wednesday urged the Department of Energy (DOE) to immediately allow exploration activities for its service contractor in Recto Bank for it to fulfill its contract obligations. “We understand that Forum Energy is raring to explore Recto Bank for gas and oil. W...

Photo credit: Senate of the Philippines Senator Win Gatchalian has filed a Senate resolution seeking to establish the oil and gas potential in the West Philippine Sea (WPS) to address the country’s import dependence for its energy requirements. The Senate inquiry is to push exploration, development, and utilization of such oil and gas reserves towar...

Photo: Nido Petroleum Company Logo Some USD72 million worth of investments are expected in the two drilling activities of Nido Petroleum Philippines Pty. Ltd. in northwest Palawan, an official of the Department of Energy (DOE) said Wednesday. In a virtual press conference, DOE Undersecretary Alessandro Sales said Nido aims to spend USD16 million eac...

The Department of Energy (DOE) has approved the acquisition deal between Prime Infrastructure Capital, Inc. and Shell Philippines Exploration B.V. (SPEX) on the latter’s 45-percent stake in the Malampaya Service Contract (SC) 38. This, after the DOE completed the review of the transaction in accordance with Presidential Decree 87 and Department Circula...

Photo credit: Reurasia The Department of Energy (DOE) reported it awarded a total of 998 renewable energy (RE) contracts as of June 2022, with investments amounting to PHP270.8 billion. In a statement Wednesday, DOE said the RE contracts have a total installed capacity of 5,460.59 megawatts and a potential capacity of 61,613.81 MW. The biggest in...

A solar hybrid power plant, expected to provide 24/7 electricity to two municipalities in Mindanao, was launched this week, the European Union (EU) Delegation in Manila said Thursday. The initiative is part of the Renewable Energy Technology for Seaweeds Value-Added (RETS) project between the EU, the Mindanao Development Authority, the United Nations I...

Photo: Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA) officer-in-charge Tereso Panga and Upgrade Energy Philippines, Inc. (UGEP) president and CEO Ruth Yu-Owen sign a memorandum of understanding on Sept. 22, 2022. PEZA and UGEP are partnering to develop renewable energy projects within economic zones. (Photo courtesy of PEZA) The Philippine Economic Zone Au...

Hungary is enticing Filipinos to study nuclear engineering to help provide possible energy solutions for the Philippines in the future. During the 7th political consultations between the Philippines and Hungary in Budapest this week, officials encouraged interested Filipinos to avail of a scholarship once the application opens again. "The Philippine...

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. speaks to American businessmen at the New York Stock Exchange Business Forum in New York City on Sept. 20, 2022 (Tuesday, Philippine time). Marcos, who is on the second day of his six-day trip to the United States, said his engagement at the NYSE serves as an "invaluable opportunity" to share with business leaders how the Ph...

Photo credit: Solenergy The Department of Budget and Management (DBM) has given the Department of Energy (DOE) a total of PHP2.2 billion for the implementation of energy projects in 2023. The allocation of about PHP2.2 billion was in line with the Marcos administration's bid to ensure an affordable and clean energy supply in the country, the DBM sai...