Metatek at the SEAPEX Regional Convention Manila 2026
Manila, Philippines | April 2026
The SEAPEX Regional Convention in Manila from 13–15 April was a very good event, combining technical presentations, regional exploration updates and wider discussions around the future of the energy sector. It brought together geoscientists, operators and service companies from across the Asia-Pacific region.
About the 2025 SEAPEX Regional Convention
According to Jonathan Watson, General Manager at Metatek Group, one of the more interesting themes was how traditional oil and gas exploration skills are increasingly being applied to newer energy opportunities. The Natural Hydrogen session at the convention attracted a lot of attention and showed how existing geophysical and subsurface interpretation techniques can also be used to identify and assess natural hydrogen systems. This is an area of interest for Metatek following recent technical work on Natural Hydrogen projects in the UAE. The discussions in Manila highlighted how the industry is adapting while still building on decades of exploration experience.
Jonathan also noted the presentations covering frontier exploration in East Palawan and Papua New Guinea, which reinforced the importance of good quality subsurface data and regional geophysical datasets in opening up new exploration opportunities across Southeast Asia, particularly using airborne methods.
Christian Richards, Sales Manager at Metatek Group, said the convention struck a good balance between technical content and networking opportunities. He also noted that it was encouraging to see conventional hydrocarbons, carbon sequestration and Natural Hydrogen all being discussed together as part of the region’s wider energy future.
Overall, both Jonathan and Christian felt the SEAPEX Regional Convention was well organised, technically strong, and a useful opportunity for collaboration and discussion across the industry.
