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The lawsuit filed by Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi against seven media organizations, including the Manila Bulletin, for publishing a story on him and Davao City-based businessman Dennis Uy facing a graft complaint over irregularities in the Malampaya gas field buyout was meant to stifle freedom of the press, opposition coalition 1Sambayan said on Sunday, Dec. 5.

The Department of Energy (DOE) categorically stated that there is no legal reason for it to nullify or overturn the approval it granted to the sale of the 45-percent Malampaya stake of American energy giant Chevron Corp. the corporate vehicle of Udenna Corporation of businessman Dennis Uy.

The operator of the Malampaya gas field is scheduling at least four “production holds” or gas restriction occurrences next year, according to the Department of Energy.

Surigao del Sur Rep. Johnny Pimentel has called for the Department of Energy (DOE) to assure the “seamless transfer” of Malampaya’s day-to-day gas business amid calls for a probe of Shell Petroleum B.V.’s $460 million operator switch to Udenna Corp.

Senator Risa Hontiveros is calling for a Senate inquiry into the “propriety” of allowing a single private entity to control almost all of the nation’s strategic fossil energy assets in the West Philippine Sea.

The recurring gas restriction dilemma of the Malampaya field significantly accounted for the higher electric bills paid for by the customers of Manila Electric Co. (Meralco) this year.

Senator Sherwin Gatchalian has raised alarm over the possibility that the government is entering into a midnight deal to extend the service contract of the Malampaya project with the gas field operator Shell Philippines Exploration B.V. (SPEX) by finalizing the transfer of its participating interest to Dennis Uy’s Udenna Corp.’s subsidiary Malampaya Energy XP Pte. Ltd.

Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque has quelled concerns of possible coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccine spoilage during the scheduled 20-day maintenance shutdown of the Malampaya deep-water gas facility this October.

‘Midnight deal’

The Department of Energy (DOE) said the 20-day Malampaya preventive maintenance shutdown scheduled in October this year will spark higher rate hikes toward the close of the year.

Four major foreign banks will finance businessman Dennis Uy’s $460 million acquisition of the 45-percent stake of Shell Philippines Exploration B.V. (SPEX) in the Malampaya gas field facility.          

Davao businessman Dennis Uy’s Udenna has been chosen as the buyer of the 45-percent stake of Shell Philippines Exploration B.V. (SPEX) in Malampaya, giving him ultimate majority control in the country’s commercial gas field.

The Duterte administration is now on its last year stretch, but the government still cannot give a definitive timeframe on when the decision on the propounded license extension of the Malampaya project will be laid down.

The revenues yielded by the country’s Malampaya gas production facility already topped $11.9 billion (equivalent to P573 billion at prevailing peso-dollar exchange rate) with the national government getting the bulk with a share of P325 billion as of end-December 2020, according to the Department of Energy.

The recurring gas production restriction from the Malampaya field will de-rate anew the electricity generation of the 1,200-megawatt Ilijan gas-fired power facility in Batangas, one of the biggest power plants in the country.

Following government’s approval of its 45-percent stake acquisition in the multi-billion Malampaya project, Udenna Corporation conveyed that it absorbed the technical team and core of experts from previous interest-holder Chevron Corporation so it can seamlessly help in the continuous operation of the gas producing field.

The Department of Energy (DOE) has officially approved the transfer of the divested 45-percent shareholdings of American firm Chevron Corporation in the multi-billion Malampaya gas field project to UC38 LLC, a subsidiary of Udenna Corporation owned by businessman Dennis Uy.

Despite stifled demand because of the re-imposition of enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) in the so-called NCR plus bubble, prices in the Wholesale Electricity Spot Market (WESM) have been hitting record-spikes in recent trading days because of the combined impact of simultaneous power plant outages and the gas restriction at the Malampaya field.