The Philodrill Corporation has applied for a new and significantly larger petroleum service contract covering the West Linapacan area offshore northwest Palawan, following the expiration of its existing Service Contract (SC) No. 14C2.

In its Philippine Stock Exchange disclosure today, Philodrill said SC 14C2 expired on December 17, 2025, ending the contract’s final 15-year extension approved by the Department of Energy (DOE) in 2010. The contract covered 17, 724 hectares and formed part of the original SC 14 awarded in 1975.

Ahead of the lapse, the Philodrill-led joint venture applied to the DOE on November 17, 2025 for a Development and Production Petroleum Service Contract that would expand the contract area to about 82,000 hectares* including adjacent eastern acreage.

Philodrill said the area has a “proven petroleum system and significant remaining recoverable oil,” and that the proposed contract aims to “utilize modern technology to revitalize West Linapacan A and finally bring West Linapacan B into production.”

According to the disclosure, West Linapacan A produced about 8.5 million stock tank barrels of oil from 1992 to 1996 through three wells, with output peaking at 18,700 barrels per day before production was shut in due to water breakthrough and low oil prices. The disclosure also said West Linapacan B, discovered in 1993, flowed oil and gas during drill stem testing but has not been developed.

The joint venture is led by Philodrill, which serves as operator with a 28.07% participating interest. Other partners are Oriental Petroleum/Logpocor, Nido Petroleum, Forum Energy, Alcorn Petroleum, and PetroEnergy.

Philodrill is a publicly listed Philippine oil exploration and production company incorporated in 1969.

The application now moves to DOE review, which will determine whether redevelopment and expansion of the West Linapacan area can proceed under a new petroleum service contract.

Should the DOE prioritize redevelopment of mature oil fields like West Linapacan as part of the country’s upstream strategy? Join the discussion.

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