Aussie, British firms part of consortium for Bangsamoro oil and gas exploration

MindaNews / 13 October – The Department of Energy (DoE) has identified two foreign companies as being part of a consortium awarded with the rights to explore oil and gas deposits in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.

In a statement, Energy Secretary Sharon S. Garin said that Australian firm Triangle Energy (Global) Limited and British company Sunda Energy Plc are part of the consortium that will explore Sulu Sea under Petroleum Service Contracts (PSC) 80 and 81.

Image courtesy of MENRE-BARMM

PSC 80 covers approximately 780,000 hectares while PSC 81 spans about 532,000 hectares, or a total of 1,312,000 hectares.

The Philippine partners in the project include PXP Energy Corporation and The Philodrill Corporation.

Triangle Energy is an oil and gas exploration company, Sunda Energy is an independent energy firm specializing in offshore operations, PXP Energy is engaged in oil and gas development, and The Philodrill is one of the Philippines’ oldest petroleum exploration firms.

Co-managed by the DOE and BARMM’s Ministry of Environment, Natural Resources, and Energy (MENRE), the service contracts aim to revitalize petroleum exploration in the Sulu Sea, and expected to generate new economic and employment opportunities for communities across BARMM and Mindanao. Under the arrangement, the two agencies will equally share revenues derived from exploration, development, and utilization of the region’s potential petroleum and natural gas deposits.

The oil and gas exploration project in the Sulu Sea was among the eight new PSCs in the country signed by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and awarded during ceremonies last October 8, 2025 in Malacañang Palace.

Collectively, the contracts represent a potential investment commitment of around US$207 million over a seven-year exploration period. Activities will include geological and geophysical surveys such as seismic and aeromagnetic studies to identify drillable prospects, with the potential to discover both native hydrogen reservoirs and new petroleum fields, the DOE said.

Bangsamoro interim Chief Minister Abdulraof Macacua welcomed the awarding of the contracts, which covers offshore areas in the province of Tawi-Tawi and areas within the Zones of Joint Cooperation in the Sulu Sea.

“This marks a new chapter in our journey toward energy security and inclusive progress—anchored on moral governance, responsible stewardship, and lasting peace for our people,” Macacua said.

The PSCs cover two Pre-Determined Areas (PDAs) in the Sulu Sea Basin — a first since the passage of the Bangsamoro Organic Law – PDA-Block Permit-2 (780,000 hectares) and PDA-Block Permit-3 (532,083 hectares).

Edriane Shane Casipong, president of the Tawi-Tawi Sanib Pwersa Kabataan Inc., expressed opposition to the awarding of exploration contracts in the Sulu Sea basin.

“While we recognize the importance of national energy security and economic development, we cannot support a project that poses grave environmental, social, and cultural risks to the Bangsamoro region and its coastal communities, especially when transparency, consultation, and local consent remain unclear,” he said in a statement.

As advocates for peace and sustainable development, he said the group stands with the Bangsamoro people in asserting that the Sulu Sea is more than an energy frontier, it is a lifeline.

“It feeds our families, sustains our culture, and anchors our identity as islanders,” he said.

Exploration activities, from seismic blasting to drilling, will disrupt the marine ecosystem, threaten fisheries, and endanger the very biodiversity that makes the Sulu Archipelago one of the richest marine areas in the world, Casipong said. (Bong S. Sarmiento / MindaNews)