Staff Reporter :
Amid the looming gas crisis hampering country’s power generation and fertilizer production, the re-drilling of the Beanibazar gas field at Sylhet has shown a ray of hope to meet the growing gas demands in various sectors.
Bangladesh Petroleum Exploration and Production Company Limited (BAPEX) on Saturday inaugurated the re-drilling of the No-1 well of the Beanibazar gas field located about 15 kilometers east of the Kailashtila Field on a seismically defined structure of Late Tertiary (Pliocene/Pleistocene) age.
The BAPEX is expecting approximately seven million cubic feet gas per day from the well along with about 95 barrel condensates for fuel production.
Managing director of Sylhet Gas Field Limited Md Mizanur Rahman who was present on the occasion hoped that the re-drilling would be completed by November or the beginning of December.
“After the completion of the re-drilling work, the gas will be tested by ignition. We are expecting about 7 million cubic feet gas per day from the field. We are also expecting huge amount of condensate from the field,” he added.
Regarding the condensate, he said, “We are expecting 95 barrel condensate per day from the well. It will be processed for fuel in Rashidpur for the production of petrol, octane and kerosene.”
Under the Sylhet Gas Filed Limited, Beanibazar has two wells. The production of the No-1 well began in 1999 and stopped in 2014. The well again started production in 2016 but it was shut down in the same year. The production of gas was found below 3450 metres of the well.
Now it is expected that the production of gas from No-1 well will be found below 3200 metres after the re-drilling of the well.
On the other hand, the No-2 well of Beanibazar gas field is producing between seven and 7.5 million cubic feet gas per day.
On the other hand, there are four other gas files under the Sylhet Gas Field Limited. These are – Haripur Gas Field, Rashidpur Gas Field, Chhatak Gas field and Kailashtila Gas Field.
The Chhatak Gas Field is now abandoned, but 12 wells of the remaining four gas fields are producing some 91 million cubic feet gas per day.
Currently Bangladesh has been experiencing acute gas crisis which has prompted to shut down two fertilizer factories in Jamalpur and Chattogram.
Due to the shut-down of the two fertilizer factories, the farmers are alleging acute crisis of fertilizers to save their standing crops.
On the other hand, a number of power generation units have been shut down due to shortage of gas and the government was forced to start rationing electricity across the country for its low electricity generation.
The re-drilling of the Beanibazar gas field may now contribute to meet the domestic demands.
