MANILA, Feb. 20 (PNA) — A group of European investors were welcomed Thursday at the Keppel Subic Shipyard in Subic, Zambales, the site of the fabrication activities of the Malampaya Phase 3 (MP3) platform by the Malampaya Joint Venture Partners and Keppel Subic Shipyard Leads to witness the ongoing construction of the second offshore gas platform as part of the Malampaya Deep Water Gas-to-Power Phase 3 Project.
This flagship European investment is the most successful private-public partnership (PPP) in the country to date, and has earned the Philippine government around P24 billion since 2001. It powers 40-45 percent of Luzon’s electricity needs, reduces oil imports, provides a stable supply of energy and a cleaner source of power and creates thousands of job opportunities for highly-skilled workers.
The second Malampaya Gas platform under construction in Keppel Subic Shipyard is part of the Phase 3 of the Malampaya Project that will ensure that the current level of gas production is maintained.
The scale of the project required the use of the 1,500 tons gantry crane, the largest in Southeast Asia that has been built at the Keppel Subic Shipyard specifically for MP3.
The offshore transport and installation of the second gas platform beside the existing one will be executed with the participation of European companies Boskalis and Mammoet.
European Union (EU) Ambassador Guy Ledoux, who heads the delegation, in a statement, said the scale of this European investment is significant by any measure.
“Several European companies are involved in this endeavor that promises to secure an important source of revenue for the Philippine people while creating new jobs for well-trained Filipinos in their own country,” he said.
“We are convinced that many opportunities for more European job-creating investments exist. European businesses are closely following developments here, in particular with respect to reforms in customs, competition and public procurement, as they make their investment decisions,” he added.
The European Union is already the largest investor in the Philippines by stock (P440 billion to date). These investments have created hundreds of thousands of jobs here while adding value to the economy through technology and capital transfer.
For his part, Shell Philippines Exploration, B.V. (SPEX) Managing Director Sebastian Quiniones commented that, “We are happy to welcome the European Union delegates to the Malampaya Phase 3 Fabrication Yard and showcase a technological innovation where a gas platform is being built for the first time in the country.”
“The relationship between the European Union and the Philippines has been a longstanding one and we are positive that this partnership will continue to broaden and deepen our ties and help each other progress as nations,” he said.
SPEX is the upstream operating company of Shell in the Philippines. It is responsible for developing and operating the Malampaya Gas Project using expertise drawn from an extensive global experience in deepwater technology and oil and gas exploration and production.
The Malampaya Gas Project, on the other hand, pioneered the country’s natural gas technology which helps energise a sustainable energy future for the Filipino people.
As the Philippines’ robust economy calls for a balanced energy mix to fuel the country’s need for energy efficiency, natural gas plays a key role as the cleanest-burning fossil fuel with a globally abundant and diverse supply.
Other members of the EU delegation include Ambassadors Josef Muellner (Austria), Roland Van Remoortele (Belgium), Massimo Roscigno (Italy), Chargés d’Affaires a.i Michael Hasper (Germany), Hero de Boer (Netherlands), Mihai Sion (Romania), Deputy Heads of Mission Jan Vytopil (Czech Republic), Nicholaos Verghis (Greece), and Commercial Counsellor Ms. Marie-Jose Connan (France). (PNA)