Tobgi-1 exploratory well – drilled at Shahbazpur gas field in Bhola – is a successful venture containing confirmed gas reserves of around 239 billion cubic feet (BCF), said State Minister for Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Nasrul Hamid.
Speaking to reporters at the Secretariat on Thursday, he added, “From the well, gas production will be possible for 30 to 31 years at an average rate of 20 million cubic feet per day (MMcf/d). The estimated value of the gas is around Tk 8,000 crore, if we price per cubic metre of gas at Tk 11.
Petrobangla Chairman Nazmul Ahsan and Bangladesh Petroleum Exploration and Production Company (BAPEX) Managing Director Mohammad Ali were also present at Thursday’s press conference.
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Nasrul Hamid further said, “The government is working to find domestic sources of energy. To this end, Petrobangla plans to drill a total of 46 exploration, development, and workover wells during the 2022-2025 period.
“We expect to get an additional 56 MMcf/d gas from two wells in Bhola North (Elisha and Bhola North-2) gas fields by next June.”
The BAPEX-owned Shahbazpur gas field was discovered in 1994, insiders say there are probable gas reserves of around 1 trillion cubic feet in the area.
Nasrul Hamid said the Tobgi well is located more than three kilometres away from Shahbazpur, which has been drilled by Netherlands-based Gazprom EP International BV, an international subsidiary of Russian state-run Gazprom with a high cost of Tk 180 crore per well.
Though BAPEX is more than capable of drilling gas wells with nearly half the cost in land, the Energy and Mineral Resources Division – in a controversial move – delivered the job to Gazprom EP, said energy expert Badrul Imam.
The company recently started drilling three wells in Bhola Tabgi-1, Elisha and Bhola North-2, sources say.
Nasrul Hamid on Thursday said Bangladesh will get gas from Tabgi-1 within one and a half years because there is a need to build a plant and other infrastructure in the area.
He added, “Three state-run companies, including BAPEX, BGFCL and SGFL, are working to drill 46 gas wells in a bid to produce 600 to 700 MMcf/d of gas by 2025.
“Besides, US energy company Chevron has been searching gas appraisal areas in Habiganj’s Bibiyana, and we expect they will add around 400 MMcf/d of gas within the next three to four years.”
Nasrul acknowledged that the country’s gas demand is increasing every day, and domestic sources cannot meet the industrial, household and power plant demands.
He told reporters, “A lot of gas has been saved by load shedding in the last three months, due to which it has been possible to supply uninterrupted gas to industrial plants. The electricity situation is improving. The situation will improve further during the November-February period.
“The frequency of load shedding will start to drop this month. In the next few months, the phenomenon will go down further across the country. Gas supply to private vehicles will not be hampered.”
