Malampaya plant hits new safety excellence milestone

MANILA, Philippines — The Malampaya onshore gas plant has reached a new milestone on safety excellence.

The onshore gas plant has achieved a 22-year “goal zero” safety record, signifying more than two decades of continuous operations with no harm to people, the community or the environment, and no significant process safety incidents.

“This achievement sets a precedent for our unyielding commitment to our core values of safety, honesty, integrity, respect, value creation, and tenacity,” Prime Energy managing director and general manager Donnabel Cruz said.

“It underscores not only our dedication to these principles, but also our responsibilities as an energy provider, assuring our stakeholders of our utmost commitment to excellence in all we do,” she said.

Prime Energy, a subsidiary of Enrique Razon-led Prime Infrastructure Capital, is the operator of the Malampaya gas-to-power project.

With diligent planning and efficient execution, Prime Energy completed the scheduled maintenance shutdown of Malampaya for both its offshore platform and onshore gas plant on time and with zero recorded incidents last February.

Prime Energy said its commitment to safety leadership, open communication, and a robust health, safety, security, and environment (HSSE) culture has been key in reaching the new milestone.

It said another key factor in maintaining goal zero performance is the organization’s strong shared commitment to HSSE with its contractor partners, ensuring that safety incidents are reviewed, learnings are shared, and safe acts are recognized.

“Safety leaders across the sites regularly conduct and participate in HSSE-focused huddles to provide an avenue for people to share updates on incidents, issues, concerns, and learnings, perpetuating a safety-first mindset within the workforce,” Prime Energy said.

“Furthermore, the implementation of safety observation cards for all plant visitors, including employees and contractors, allows for the documentation of potentially unsafe situations and actions. This encourages employees to be proactive in mitigating risks and avoiding hazards, fostering agility and self-reliance should the need for it arises,” it said.

Prime Energy also hosts an annual safety day, an event welcoming all employees, partners, contractors, and vendors, to further reinforce its continued commitment to high standards of HSSE.

Service Contract 38, which covers the Malampaya gas field, has been renewed for another 15 years or until Feb. 22, 2039 by President Marcos last May to unlock the potential of both the existing Malampaya gas field and nearby areas.

The extension requires the consortium to explore and drill at least two new deep water wells in the first phase of its work program from 2024 to 2029.