Bangladesh makes move to ascertain actual gas reserve in five fields

State-owned gas field companies will begin survey in October next in five operative gas fields to ascertain actual hydrocarbon reserves and identify dispersion of structures aiming at boost gas production, officials said.
Bangladesh Gas Fields Company Ltd. (BGFCL) will ascertain actual remaining reserves and dispersion of hydrocarbon structure at its Titas and Bakhrabad fields, and the Sylhet Gas Fields Ltd. (SGFL) will survey in its Koilastila, Rashidpur and Sylhet (Haripur) fields, a senior Petrobangla official said. Since the country's gas supply shortage is hampering the industrial growth, the government has taken the move to find out whether there is any additional reserve in those fields, he added.

The two companies have appointed the country's lone energy exploration and production company Bapex to conduct three-dimensional (3D) survey in the five fields.
"We'll begin the survey in October next. Now, we are taking necessary preparations, including procurement of different equipments and machinery, to conduct the survey," a senior Bapex official told.
He said: "It will help the government make sure about the total extractable oil and gas reserve in those fields. First, we'll start 3D seismic survey covering Bakhrabad gas field of BGFCL in October this year. We expect that gas reserve and dispersion of structures assessment will be completed within three to four months."

"By June 2011, we will complete the survey and confirm the actual remaining reserve and dispersion of gas structures of all the five gas fields. It will help the government workout energy supply plan for next couple of decades," he said.
The five operative gas fields -- Titas, Bakhrabad, Kailastila, Rashidpur and Sylhet -- are supplying about 30 % of total 1,883 mm cf of gas per day to the consumers in the country. State-owned energy corporation Petrobangla said Titas is the country's largest field with its total recoverable reserve of 5.13 tcf of gas followed by Habiganj with 3.85 tcf, Bibiyana 2.4 tcf, Kailastila 1.9 tcf, Rashidpur 1.4 tcf, Bakhrabad 1.05 tcf and Sylhet gas field with 487.7 bn cf.

Remaining recoverable reserve in the Titas field has stood at 2.27 tcf, Habiganj 2.3 tcf, Bibiyana 2.22 tcf, Kailastila 1.47 tcf, Rashidpur 969 bn cf, Bakhrabad 368.5 bn cf and at Sylhet (Haripur) gas field 291 bn cf.
"As reserves and gas structures in the five gas fields were recorded many years ago, and now, we want to re-assess the remaining reserves and dispersion of the hydrocarbon structures there to know the present situation," the Petrobangla official said.

The country's growing energy demand has prompted the government to ascertain the gas reserve in major state-owned five fields where the Asian Development Bank is funding, he said.
"If we find new structures or dispersion of gas structures in those fields through 3D survey, some other new wells will possibly be drilled for additional gas production there," the official said.

Now, the country is producing 1,880-1,900 mm cfpd of gas against the demand for over 2,100 mm cfpd.
The gas shortage has already hampered industrial growth across the country especially in the energy-hungry Chittagong region.