The authorities of the Bibiyana Gas Field have reduced production of gas because of a high inventory of condensate, triggering fears of higher load-shedding due to compromised power generation.
Natural-gas condensate is a low-density mixture of hydrocarbon liquids that are present in raw natural gas produced from natural gas fields.
US-based oil company Chevron operates Bibiyana located in Habiganj under block 12 in the country’s north-eastern region.
A Petrobangla official said that they have asked the Bibiyana authorities to reduce production for the next 10 days because of the surplus condensate.
He also said there is a need to ensure quality of the produced condensate for using it properly. The condensate which is now coming to the market is not pure; as a result, there is surplus even after use.
“Besides, petrol is being produced from condensate but some private companies are importing condensate without using the condensates available in Bangladesh,” he said.
The condensate produced at various gas fields in the country is usually purchased by a number of fractionation plants and the Eastern Refinery Limited mainly for producing petrol and diesel.
However, there have always been concerns about the quality of local condensate and many of these buyers have opted for imported condensate as a result.
The decision to reduce production at Bibiyana was made on Friday. The gas field is now producing 917mmcf gas and 4,200 barrels of condensate per day. A few days ago, the field produced 1,205 mmcf gas and 5,800 barrels of condensate per day. It is said that 1,000mmcfd is the ideal at this field.
This nearly 300mmcfd reduction in gas production may mean 1,500MW less electricity at a time of high summer demand. The government claims that at present the current production of power in the country is around 7,500MW. Of this, around 5,000MW comes from gas. A bulk of the rest comes from oil-based plants.
Until June 4, Petrobangla supplied 2,700 million cubic feet gas per day which has now deceased to 2,300 million cubic feet.
Over the last two days, Petrobangla has held a series of meetings with with various stakeholders such as Chevron.
Istiaque Ahmad, chairman of Petrobangla, told the Dhaka Tribune: “We are trying to find a solution to this issue.”
Shaikh Jahidur Rahman, communication manager of Chevron Bangladesh, said: “As of Friday morning, June 5, 2015, production from the Bibiyana gas field has decreased due to high inventory levels of produced condensate.
“Chevron is working closely with Petrobangla and the Government of Bangladesh to resolve this matter, so that normal gas production can be resumed and critical gas supply to the nation can be fully restored as soon as possible,” he said.
