INDUSTRY players threw their support behind a legislative proposal to create a legal and regulatory framework for the development of the natural gas industry in the country.
LNG is considered a transition fuel as economies ramp up investments for intermittent renewable energy technologies given the current prohibitive cost of energy storage. The Manila Electric Company , which sources around 50 to 60 percent of its supply requirements from power plants using Malampaya gas, is also supportive of the proposed bill.
However, they urged agencies to share with the industry their plans moving forward. “It’s Malampaya plus LNG. We would like to know the DOE’s [Department of Energy] plans so we can also plan and act accordingly because at the end of the day if there are power supply constraints it’s the power generators that are being blamed,” said PIPPA President Anne Estorco Montelibano.