The Philippines Department of Energy has let an exploration contract covering much of Manila Bay to a combine of E.F. Durkee & Associates Inc. (EFDA) and Petrofields Exploration & Development Co. Inc., both of Manila.
Geophysical Survey and Exploration Contract (GSEC) 73 covers 247,000 acres in the northern and central parts of the bay.
EFDA says the area includes a large, gas-prone structure mapped by seismic data acquired by Petro-Canada in 1984 for the Philippines Bureau of Energy Development, now part of the energy department.
The structure's crest is 18 km west of Manila, 10 km east of Petron's refinery at Limay on the Bataan Peninsula, 10 km southeast of Subic Bay, and 35 km northeast of the mothballed Bataan nuclear power plant at Morong.
Coplex Resources NL, Hobart, Australia, for which EFDA is technical manager in Southeast Asia, says the structure has areal closure of 8,000 acres.
EFDA holds 95% of the contract - 32.5% in trust for Coplex, 27.5% in trust for Pacrim Energy NL, also of Australia, and 25% in trust for Oriental Minerals & Development Corp., Manila. Transfer of the interests requires government approval.
Petrofields, a subsidiary of Benguet Mining Corp., holds the remaining 5%.
GSEC 73 terms call for expenditure of $100,000, including acquisition of 200 line km of seismic data, Drilling in the first year is optional. EFDA said the contractors hope to drill the prospect in first quarter 1995. In the meantime, they will conduct seismic work, including reprocessing of data, and a seabed survey around the drillsite.
Elsewhere in Philippines, EFDA, Pacrim, and Coplex hold interests in GSEC 64 off Southwest Palawan Island, GSEC 69 on and off northern Cebu, and nonexclusive exploration permits in the areas of the western Visayan Sea and Asid Gulf and around Subic Bay, West Central Luzon, and Lingayen Gulf.
In northern Cebu the companies will start a five well appraisal drilling program in Libertad gas field during March or April. They are completing modification in the U.S. of a truck mounted air rig that will conduct the drilling.
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