Fenchuganj to double gas production from Dec

Bapex plans new drilling in August

11 July 2010, 18:00 PM

Unb, Dhaka

Bangladesh Petroleum Exploration and Production Company (Bapex) plans new drilling at its Fenchuganj gas field at the end of August targeting a production increase of 25 million cubic feet per day (mmcfd). Fenchuganj field now produces 20-25 mmcfd of gas. After completion of the drilling, its production will be raised by another 20-25 mmcfd, official sources said. Bapex, a subsidiary of the state-owned Petrobangla, is responsible for exploration and production of oil and gas across the country. Bapex managing director Mortuza Ahmed said that a rig, purchased recently from China, has already been mobilised at the project site and is ready to start drilling. He informed that Bapex had planned to start work several days back. But as the monsoon already started and some parts of the road towards the project site washed away by heavy downpour, it has become difficult to send some important equipments there. “That has delayed our work and now we have set a target to start drilling at well No-3 at Fenchuganj field at end of August,” he said. He also mentioned that it would take about three months to complete the drilling job and the well of the field will start producing 20-25 mmcfd of gas shortly after the drilling. “We are very confident we will be able to produce a more 20-25 mmcfd of gas from there,” he said. The good news came from the top executive of the state-exploration company at a time when the country has been experiencing severe gas crisis that has severely hit the power and industry sector. At present, the country hardly produces 2,000 mmcfd of gas against a demand of about 2,500 mmcfd. State-owned Power Development Board (PDB) claims it had to reduce power production by about 700 MW due to gas shortage while many fertiliser factories were shut down for the same reason. The Bapex MD said they have a plan to feed the power plants at Fenchuganj and Sylhet with the new production of gas. As the country's drilling operation was severely hampered for a lack of rigs, Bapex procured the rig this year from China at a cost of 19 million Euros (Tk 210 crore). Bapex, country's lone gas exploration company, has so far discovered eight gas fields. Now it owns a number of gas fields including Shahbazpur, Salda River, Fenchuganj, Kamta, Srikail, Semutang, Begumganj and Feni gas fields. Along with its own exploration works, Bapex also conducted drilling for some of the other subsidiary companies of Petrobangla. Of the Bapex-owned fields, Fenchuganj is presently producing 22.4 mmcfd of gas while Salda is producing 7.7 mmcfd and Shahbazpur 9.5 mmcfd. Bapex has the capability of conducting seismic surveys and drilling, using its own manpower and equipment. The company has also its laboratory and seismic data processing facilities.