Investors eye LNG facility at gov’t park in Bataan

A consortium of local and foreign investors is in talks with state-run Philippine National Oil Co. for a possible lease of the government’s industrial park in Bataan, where the group plans to put up a liquefied natural gas (LNG) facility.

Energy Secretary Carlos Jericho L. Petillla confirmed that the international consortium, which is largely involved in the construction industry, is looking at building an “unconventional” LNG facility that will involve the installation of undersea cables, among others.

The planned facility is not part of any of the Department of Energy’s proposed natural gas pipeline projects, Petilla said.

The energy chief did not reveal the identities of the members of the consortium because of the “ongoing negotiations.”

According to Petilla, PNOC is studying the policies concerning the lease of land within the industrial park, which is operated by its subsidiary, PNOC Alternative Fuels Corp. (PNOC-AFC), for purposes other than petrochemical use.

“The PNOC-AFC Industrial Park was designed for petrochemicals. There are a lot [of entities] who want to locate there, but those are not involved in petrochem. [PNOC] is now studying whether it can allow power companies involved in LNG to locate there,” Petilla explained.

The PNOC-AFC Industrial Park, located in the municipalities of Mariveles and Limay in Bataan, is a fully integrated industrial complex that caters to a homogenous group of petrochemical-related plants. Based on data from the PNOC-AFC website, locators at the park include Philippine Resins Industries Inc. and NPC Alliance Corp.