Gov’t to bid out 8 areas for coal, petroleum, hydrogen exploration

THE Department of Energy (DOE) launched on Monday eight predetermined areas (PDAs) for exploration, development, and production of indigenous energy sources across the country.

Four of these are in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), three of which are for petroleum and one for coal.

DOE Undersecretary Alessandro Sales, during the launch in Quezon City, said the coal exploration in BARMM, tagged as PDA-BC-1, is in Kapai and Tagoloan, Lanao del Sur, covering 14,856 hectares.

He said bidding is only open for local companies.

For petroleum exploration, these include PDA-BP-1 in the Cotabato Basin that covers Cotabato City and the provinces of Lanao del Sur and Maguindanao del Norte with a total area of 229,240 hectares.

The DOE, in a statement, said 14 wells have been drilled in the area, 10 of which had oil and gas shows.

The other two, PDA-BP-2 and PDA-BP-3, are in the Sulu Sea Basin, it said.

It said six wells have been drilled within the 780,000-hectare PDA-BP-2, where there are three gas discoveries as well as one oil and gas shows; while seven wells were drilled within the 532,083-hectare PDA-BP-3, and four of which had gas shows.

It said explorations in the southern part of the country were halted due to peace and order concerns, but noted that establishment of the BARMM government has addressed security and has helped in building confidence in the area among potential investors.

Meanwhile, four PDAs in Luzon and Visayas under the 2024 Philippine Bid Round 2 were also offered to investors, two of which are for petroleum development and production while the other two are for exploration of native hydrogen sources in the Zambales-Pangasinan area.

The PDA-DP-1 is the Offshore Northern Palawan, a 100,000-hectare area located 60 kilometers from the north coast of Busuanga Island. /