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Bangladesh Petroleum Exploration and Production Company Limited (Bapex) has taken speedy projects to explore oil from abandoned 21 wells, aimed at easing pressure on LNG imports from volatile global market.
Under the initiative, it already found gas reserves at Kailashtila well no-7 abandoned well, said a top official at Bapex.
“We have found gas reserves at the abandoned well no: 7 in the Kailashtila field in Sylhet,” Bapex managing director Md Ali told the daily sun on Thursday.
He said the state-owned Bapex had taken less than three months to discover the well at a cost of Tk 30 crore.
“We are hopeful to supply the natural gas to national grid by May 10 as the gridline and process plant were already installed at the gas field,” Md Ali said.
He said the Bapex had taken the speedy projects to explore fuel from 21 abandoned wells of Bapex, Bangladesh Gas Fields Company Limited and Sylhet Gas Field Company.
He said Bapex also explores marginal gas from Sylhet well no: 8 and Salda well no: 2. It produces 4-5 mmcfd gas each project under the speedy projects.
The Bapex will also drill Bianibazar well no:1 that also abandoned lone period as a part of the government initiative to explore new gas reserves in the country.
“We will also drill two exploratory wells at Srikail North next month and Sariatpur in July. Then Sundolpur-3 and Begumganj-4 development wells will be explored,” Bapex MD said.
The estimated cost of the exploratory and development wells is set at Tk 200 crore, according to him.
“Bapex has a busy schedule till 2025 and we are working accordingly,” the MD said.
He said the company has received instructions from Petrobangla as per the directive from Prime Minister’s Office to explore gas from abandoned wells during Russia-Ukraine war.
“We have already instructed the gas field companies to work as per the directive of the PMO and explore new gas prospects,” Petrobangla chairman Nazmul Abedin told the daily sun on Thursday.
Earlier, the Petrobangla chairman said LNG imports have become costly as the international market remains volatile due to the Russia-Ukraine war.
“We have purchased natural gas at $39 per mmbtu from six cargoes in spot market to meet the demand,” Petrobangla chairman told the daily sun earlier.
He said an mmbtu of natural gas was only $10 a year ago.
“We have planned to start deep drilling to explore some gas from local gas fields. We are launching our activities in this regard,” he said.
State Minister for Power and Energy Nasrul Hamid said new gas was found in the Kailashtila field in Sylhet on May 2, 2022.
“About 20 million cubic feet of gas per day has been found in Kailashtila gas field in Sylhet,” he posted on his verified Facebook before the Eid day.
Seven wells have been drilled at the Kailashtila gas field so far. Two wells are producing 29 million cubic feet of gas per day, which is delivered to the national grid, he said.
The Kailashtila well no:7 was declared abandoned in 2017. The Kailashtila Gas Field was discovered in 1962. It had started production in 1983.
(DS)
