{
  "id": 7135483,
  "title": "US firm expands hunt for native hydrogen in Philippines",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/13/us-firm-expands-hunt-for-native-hydrogen-in-philippines",
  "topic": "business",
  "section": "Business",
  "published": "2026-09-13T16:00:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Philippine Star Business",
    "slug": "philippine-star-business",
    "url": "https://www.philstar.com/business/2026/09/14/2556015/us-firm-expands-hunt-native-hydrogen-philippines"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "US firm Koloma Inc. is planning to broaden its search for native hydrogen resources in the Philippines, this time targeting offshore Palawan. The Department of Energy (DOE) has invited other companies to challenge Koloma's proposal for a 712,000-hectare area in the East Palawan Basin. A pre-submission conference is set for September 4, and the deadline for submitting bids is October 14. Koloma would become the company's fourth native hydrogen service contract in the Philippines, having previously secured exclusive exploration rights in western Zambales and two other contracts in Central Luzon last year. The DOE anticipates drilling activities to commence later this year or early 2027 if commercially viable reserves are confirmed. Native hydrogen, unlike conventional hydrogen, is a naturally occurring resource found beneath the earth's surface and could serve as an additional indigenous energy source to support the Philippines' clean energy transition. Currently, coal makes up around 60 percent of the power mix, with renewable energy accounting for approximately 25 percent.",
  "summary": "US-based Koloma Inc. wants to expand its search for native hydrogen resources beyond Zambales and Pangasinan, this time proposing to explore offshore Palawan.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}