As it celebrates its 31 st Anniversary, PNOC EXPLORATION CORPORATION, the upstream oil and gas subsidiary of the state-owned Philippine National Oil Company (PNOC), reaffirms its commitment to lead the country towards energy independence through intensified petroleum exploration around the country.

To date, PNOC EC holds interests in eight (8) Service Contract (SC) areas all over the country, six (6) of which are exploration concessions located mostly offshore: SC 43 (Ragay Gulf), SC 47 (Offshore Mindoro), SC 57 (Calamian), SC 58 (West Calamian), SC 59 (West Balabac), and SC 63 (East Sabina).

Various exploration activities have been conducted by PNOC EC and its partners in these service contract areas over the past years. Two exploration wells are likewise programmed to be drilled within the year – one in SC 43 and another in SC 47.

PNOC EC holds 100% interest in SC 37 in Isabela which hosts the first natural gas-fired power plant in the Philippines – the San Antonio Gas Power Plant. The Company is also the only Filipino partner in the Malampaya Deep Water Gas-to-Power Project (SC 38) with 10% stake. Other major petroleum projects of PNOC EC include the Camago-Malampaya Oil Leg (CMOL) Project which intends to develop and produce the crude oil found beneath the Malampaya gas field in offshore northwest Palawan, and the Joint Marine Seismic Undertaking (JMSU), a tripartite agreement with the national oil companies of China and Vietnam which aims to conduct a joint marine seismic study in the South China Sea.