U.S.-based energy company Koloma, Inc. has nominated an offshore area in the East Palawan Basin for possible native hydrogen exploration, according to an invitation for challenge issued by the Department of Energy (DOE).
The nominated block covers about 712,000 hectares. Under the government’s contracting process, other qualified companies may challenge Koloma’s proposal by filing competing applications.
The DOE has set October 14 as the deadline for the submission and opening of applications. Each challenger must pay an application fee of ₱1 million before or on the deadline. A pre-submission conference was scheduled for September 4.
Koloma has not yet been awarded the East Palawan area. The invitation for challenge is part of the selection process that must be completed before the government decides whether to grant a service contract.
If its application succeeds, the East Palawan project would become Koloma’s fourth native hydrogen service contract in the Philippines.
The company received Service Contract 92 in July, covering an exploration area in western Zambales. It also holds Service Contracts 83 and 84 in Central Luzon, which were awarded in 2025.
Koloma has started a two-dimensional seismic survey in Pangasinan to examine underground formations that may contain native hydrogen. The DOE expects drilling under the company’s existing exploration program to begin later this year or in early 2027.
Native hydrogen, also called natural or geologic hydrogen, occurs beneath the Earth’s surface. Unlike hydrogen manufactured through industrial processes, it is formed through natural geological reactions.
The proposed exploration does not mean that commercial hydrogen deposits have already been found in East Palawan. Surveys and drilling would first be required to determine whether the area holds resources that can be produced safely and economically.
