Bicol Shelf Basin Opened for Petroleum Bids Amid Energy Crunch

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Facing a "State of National Energy Emergency" and a heavy reliance on imported fuel, the Marcos administration has officially opened bidding for petroleum exploration in the Bicol Shelf Basin. The Department of Energy (DOE) is seeking challengers for a massive 1.5 million-hectare nominated area, a move designed to bolster indigenous energy resources amid volatile global market fluctuations.


Strategic Energy Push

The Bicol Shelf is classified by officials as a "frontier" block—an area with proven petroleum systems that remains largely unexplored. Experts highlight its significant potential:

Resources: The basin is considered gas-prone, with an estimated 44 million barrels of oil equivalent in undiscovered resources.

History: The area includes 32,500 square kilometers of offshore acreage with six historical "wildcat" wells.

Advantage: Crucially, the feature lies in uncontested waters near the Luzon power corridor, making it a "strategic priority" for national energy security.

The Bidding Process

Under the Philippine Conventional Energy Contracting Program (PCECP), the government has set a strict timeline for interested investors:

Pre-submission Conference: April 7.

Application Deadline: May 18 (Bids will be opened the same day).

Requirements: Challengers must submit a work program superior to the original proposal and pay a ₱1 million application fee.

Feature Profile: The Bicol Shelf

The undersea feature, formally proposed for naming in 2018 by NAMRIA, is located in the Philippine Sea. According to hydrographic survey data:

Depth: It ranges from 28.11 meters to 5,863.75 meters.

Dimensions: It is a "half-oval" shaped feature spanning approximately 140 km by 226 km.
Discovery: The feature was surveyed extensively by the BRP Hydrographer Presbitero and the BRP Hydrographer Ventura between 2004 and 2008.

This exploration drive follows the recent award of eight petroleum deals worth $207 million across other regions, including the Cagayan, Cebu, northwest Palawan, east Palawan, Central Luzon, and the Sulu Sea, as the Philippines races to secure long-term transition fuels and reduce its vulnerability to external price shocks.

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