The country is struggling with a severe gas crisis, as authorities allegedly ignore the possibility of utilising a recently discovered gas field in Noakhali.
The state-run Petrobangla’s exploration wing Bangladesh Petroleum Exploration and Production Company (Bapex), discovered new gas reserves on November 11 in one of the development wells at Begumganj in Noakhali.
The gas field reportedly has the capability to provide at least 20 million cubic feet (mmcf) of gas to the national grid every day, but it lies unused because of the absence of a processing plant with a suitable 20mmcfd capacity and the lack of an 8km transmission pipeline.
Admitting the facts, Bapex Managing Director, MA Baki, told the Dhaka Tribune last week that the authority has decided to build the pipeline and processing plant, but has failed to set a date for the work to begin.
Bapex has already purchased a processing plant with a 20mmcfd capacity, which is planned for another gas field named Sundulpur, which turns out to be not far from the newly discovered site at Begumganj. The shipment of equipment for the processing plant is expected to arrive at Sundulpur next month.
However, a director-level official of Bapex, on condition of anonymity, said the new processing plant was not necessary for the Sundulpur gas field, as the field is already able to operate.
The Sundulpur gas field provides about 9mmcf of gas to the national grid per day.
The ordered processing plant would be a more appropriate fit for the newly discovered gas field at Begumganj, and could be used there if authorities wished, the Bapex official said.
He added that establishing the plant at the Begumganj site would take a maximum of three months, and that the 8km long transmission pipeline would also require a couple of more months to be constructed.
If the authorities did decide to set up the already-ordered plant at the Begumganj site, it would take four months for the plant to become operational, the Bapex official said, adding that it would take over a year if a new plant was ordered for the site.
Asked about the issue, Energy and Mineral Resources Division Secretary Md Mozammel Haque Khan told the Dhaka Tribune: “I would not know anything about it. Petrobangla is concerned about it.”
Bapex found new gas reserves at a depth of 2,900 metres, with gas found in three zones of the well area.
Including Begumganj, Bapex has so far discovered seven gas fields.
According to the Bangladesh Economic Review 2013, the new gas field has a reserve of 21 billion cubic feet.
Petrobangla sources said currently about 2,250mmcf gas was being supplied every day, against a demand of 2,700-3,000mmcf.
