About Phil
About Phil Mulacek
Petroleum engineer, entrepreneur and founder of global energy companies.
Phil Mulacek is an American petroleum engineer and energy entrepreneur with more than 45 years of experience in oil, gas and LNG development across the international landscape, including the United States and Papua New Guinea.
Phil studied petroleum engineering and geology at Texas Tech University and graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Petroleum Engineering.
1981
Creating PIE
In 1981, he founded Petroleum Independent & Exploration (PIE), a private oil and gas company. PIE explored, drilled, and produced oil and gas across the southwestern United States.
1997–2013
Building InterOil
In the 1990s, Phil saw an opportunity others had missed: Papua New Guinea was producing oil but had no refinery of its own. In 1997, he founded InterOil to build one. Over 16 years as Chairman and CEO, he grew InterOil into a fully integrated energy company, with the country’s first oil refinery, its largest fuel distribution network, and a major world-class exploration business.
Under his leadership, InterOil discovered the Elk-Antelope gas fields in Papua New Guinea’s Gulf Province, Asia’s largest onshore gas discoveries. Guinness World Records certified the Antelope-1 well’s gas flow in 2009. InterOil’s market value grew from about USD 1 million to over USD 5.4 billion before Phil retired as CEO in 2013.
Today
Company leadership
Currently, Phil is Chairman of Empire Petroleum (NYSE American: EP), a US oil and gas producer. When he joined the company, Empire was producing fewer than 200 barrels a day. Under his leadership, production has grown roughly tenfold to around 2,000 barrels a day, and the company is now working towards a goal of 20,000 barrels a day.
Phil also continues to invest in energy through PIE and its affiliates.
Empire Petroleum’s 2025 Annual Report, published in 2026, identifies Phil as Chairman of the Board. Earlier company disclosures also document his leadership of Asian Oil & Gas and the founding of PIE Corp.
- 45+years in oil and gas
- 900+wells developed in the United States
- 1stoil refinery in Papua New Guinea
- 1.6Bbarrels of oil equivalent discovered
By the Numbers
- 45+ years in oil and gas
- 900+ wells developed in the United States
- 1st oil refinery in Papua New Guinea
- 1.6 billion barrels of oil equivalent discovered
- USD 1 million to over USD 5.4 billion: InterOil’s growth under his leadership
- 2 Guinness World Records (Antelope 2 over 705mm per day, and 300**)
- Top five producers in Papua New Guinea
Explore the company profiles for the background to these connections, or visit Oil & Gas for the exploration story.