Local explorer sees 80pc possibility of finding huge reserve in old Sylhet field
A survey of national gas field of Rashidpur has raised high hopes of finding an additional one trillion cubic feet (tcf) of gas.
This is a major development in a national gas field, a source of gas cheaper than that produced by international oil companies. Once tapped, this reserve would significantly help reduce the country’s perennial gas crisis, officials say.
According to Petrobangla sources, Bangladesh has 12-15tcf reserve of gas.
At present, the country has a gas supply of about 2,000mmcf per day against the demand for 2,500mmcf, leading to a severe crisis in gas-fired power generation and gas-based industrial production. The shortfall has also affected domestic consumers.
Discovered in 1960, Rashidpur field went into commercial operation two years later and so far supplied 460 billion cubic feet (bcf) of gas to the national grid, the officials add.
The new 967bcf deposit was detected in the field’s unexplored eastern part which is separated by a geological fault.
The finding came through the first-ever three dimensional seismic survey conducted at Rashidpur by Bangladesh Petroleum Exploration and Production Company Ltd (Bapex).
One of the oldest gas fields in the country, it already had a proven gas reserve of 2tcf in its western part.
“There is an 80 percent possibility that we will find another 967.2bcf gas from a part of the eastern flank of the field,” announcing the survey result, Petrobangla Chairman Hussain Monsur said at a press briefing yesterday.
During the briefing at Petrocentre, he said the team has conducted the survey with modern technology on the western fault of Rashidpur in Sylhet.
There is also a low possibility of finding another 2.416tcf gas from another part of the eastern flank, said Mortuza Ahmad Faruque, managing director of Bapex.
“However, we have to conduct more drillings to find the gas,” he said. “But the possibility is higher and the signs are encouraging.”
Bapex has proposed drilling three development wells in the western Rashidpur, which is presently under operation, and forecasts it would produce 55 million cubic feet per day (mmcfd) gas.
For the unexplored eastern part, Bapex proposed drilling two exploratory and four development wells. Upon confirmation of the gas discovery through this drilling programme, the authorities would be able to say how much gas could be produced from this part.
The government approved a fund of Tk 164 crore to conduct 3D seismic survey in Titas, Bakhrabad, Sylhet, Kailashtila and Rashidpur in October 2008.
Bapex has completed the surveys of Kailashtila and Sylhet gas fields and is presently processing the data for interpretation. It is also preparing to conduct another survey at Titas field.
-With The Daily Star input
