‘LNG must be seen as a credible alternative to coal for the Philippines’: First Gen

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The Philippines needs LNG. Malampaya, which is the only significant gas find in the country to have been commercialised and supports just over 20% of power generation, is expected to run dry by 2027. But according to Jon Russell, executive vice president and chief commercial officer at First Gen, the Philippines’ largest gas-fired power producer, which together with Tokyo Gas is developing a 3-5 mtpa import terminal on Luzon island, the introduction of LNG to the country is not only a matter of energy security. It can also help gas consumption expand beyond Luzon to the rest of the Philippines and – crucially for a country vulnerable to the impacts of climate change – wean it off coal and set its energy sector firmly on the path to decarbonisation.