Philippines eyes LNG imports for cheap energy source

Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi said the government plans to im­port liquefied natural gas (LNG) as he presented the country’s liq­uefied natural gas roadmap during the LNG Producer-Consumer Conference in Tokyo, Japan, Thursday.

Cusi told the conference that the Philippines could “take ad­vantage of the current period of oversupply and the relatively low prices of LNG”, amid the nearing depletion of the Malampaya gas field, according to a release issued by the energy department.

Malampaya powers five natural gas power plants in Batangas that provides 3,211 megawatts to Luzon and Visayas.

The energy chief shared with Japanese and other foreign investors the Philippines’ natural gas prospects that range from liquefied natural gas (LNG) importation, off-grid or missionary islands conversion to natural gas power plants, even non-power applications, such as in transportation.

Cusi said LNG can provide the “demand from baseload, mid-merit and peaking requirements and can compete with oth­er fuel sources that can address the least-cost optimal electricity from such demand centers”.

He called on the international community to strengthen part­nerships to develop and promote the LNG industry, especially in the Philippines.

The LNG Producer-Consumer Conference was supported by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry of Japan and co-hosted by the Asia-Pacific Energy Research Center, which be­gan in 2012.

It aims to promote a shared understanding and cooperation between producers and consumers.