Large gas reserve discovered in Bhola

The total volume of gas deposited in the reserve can be confirmed in 72 hours, an official says

A new gas reserve has been discovered in Bhola amid the supply crisis and high global price of fuel.

Mohammad Ali, a director of the Bangladesh Petroleum Exploration and Production Company Limited, on Monday said the large reserve was found at Bhola North Well No. 2.

He said the well was pumping 20 million cubic feet of gas per day and the volume of gas deposited in the well can be confirmed within 72 hours.

Bangladesh draws gas from 43 wells across 22 gas fields and 10 of them could supply over 20 million cubic feet per day, making the new reserve in Bhola one of the largest in the country.

Ali said: “We began drilling on Dec 5. Within a short period of time, we found a lot of gas at a depth of 3,528 metres.”

BAPEX designed the well while Russian state energy company Gazprom supported the project by providing the drilling rig, Ali said.

Gazprom will further provide assistance by building the infrastructure as per an agreement. “It doesn’t have anything else to do here. Gazprom will receive a contract fee but have no partnership claim to the gas.”

Bangladesh requires 3,700 million cubic feet of gas per day. On Monday, the supply fizzled out at 2,722 million cubic feet, of which 489 million cubic feet was imported LNG.

The national transmission pipelines of the Gas Transmission Company Limited of Bangladesh are not connected to Bhola. The gas goes to local power stations and meets local demands. The authorities are reviewing ways to connect the national transmission lines with Bhola.