20-22 mmcf/d expected as extraction begins

The Bangladesh Petroleum Exploration and Production Company (BAPEX) has begun extracting gas from a newly discovered well on experimental basis at the Shahbazpur gas field in Bhola.

The new gas well named “Ilisha-1”, located at the West Ilisha Union in Bhola Sadar, is expected to have a daily output capacity of 20 million cubic feet per day (mmcf/d), BAPEX officials said.

BAPEX began its experimental gas extraction from the new well at 7:00 am on Friday.

Earlier, Russian oil and gas corporation Gazprom started drilling the well on March 9. The excavation of the well was completed on April 24.

Alamgir Hossain, general manager of Geophysical Department, BAPEX, estimates that initially, 20 to 22 mmcf of gas will be available from this well on a daily basis. It has an estimated 180 to 220 billion cubic feet (BCF) of gas reserves.

He said, “If everything goes well, the full-fledged extraction process will officially start on May 15.”

In order to solve the nation’s energy crisis, the government has implemented a number of initiatives to expand the domestic gas output.

The discovery of the Ilisha-1 gas field offers Bangladesh a ray of hope amid the global energy crisis.

The Russian company, Gazprom, conducted the drilling based on the strategic design and location provided by BAPEX. It was successfully completed through Drill Stem Test in three levels at a depth of 3,436 metres.

According to BAPEX officials, further testing will be carried out to confirm the accurate production per day.

The officials said there are approximately 1.7 trillion cubic feet of gas in the Shahbazpur-1 gas field, which consists of nine gas wells in total.

Four of the wells are currently producing 140 MMcf of gas per day, but the output capacity of the wells is much higher, of-ficials added.

According to a BAPEX report, the Shahbazpur natural gas field was discovered in 1986 through a two-dimensional seismic survey at Bhola.

Later, Petrobangla, the state-owned gas company responsible for managing oil, natural gas and other mineral resources, conducted another seismic survey in 1987.

Following the survey reports, excavation at the gas field began in 1994, which resulted in a total of eight wells being dug in Bhola Sadar and Borhanuddin upazila.

With the addition of Ilisha-1, there are now nine wells with significant gas reserves at the field.