Anisul Islam Noor :
The government has initiated to strengthen the Bangladesh Petroleum Exploration and Production Company Limited (BAPEX) for exploring oil and gas both in onshore and offshore blocks.
Now, BAPEX has nine out of 28 onshore blocks for exploration and production of oil and gas. The government awarded seven onshore blocks to BAPEX last week for exploring hydrocarbon there, said Md Atiquzzaman, Managing Director of BAPEX.
State-run BAPEX will start work as soon as possible for exploration and production of oil and gas as per the energy division’s directive, he said.
In July 2015, Bapex had demanded 18 onshore blocks. He said that the seven new blocks bagged by BAPEX includes a number of potential fields for striking oil and gas.
The government awarded block-9 to BAPEX on the condition that it would not get its five ring fenced areas, as they had been given to state-run Bangladesh Gas Fields Company Limited earlier.
Bakhrabad Gas Field and a part of Titas Gas Field are located in the ring fenced areas, said officials.
In the same order, the energy division said that exploration for oil and gas in the
lead prospect areas in onshore blocks 12, 13 and 14 would jointly carried out by BAPEX, BGFCL and state-run Sylhet Gas Fields Limited.
Gas fields to be discovered in the three offshore blocks would be owned and operated by BGFCL and SGFL, said the energy division’s order.
Exploration of the three blocks were relinquished by UNICOL at different times until 2000, after retaining three big gas fields it found at Jalalabad, Bibiyana and Moulvibazaar.
After UNICOL left, US oil giant Chevron took over the three gas fields under separate production sharing contracts.
The energy division also asked Petrobangla to prepare a revised map of the onshore hydrocarbon blocks. Inviting international oil companies for oil and gas explorations in the remaining hydrocarbon blocks is under the government’s consideration, said energy division officials.
BAPEX would explore onshore blocks 3-B, 6-B, 7, 10, 15, 22-A and 22-B for oil and gas and own and operate the gas fields on discovery, said the energy division order.
When asked, Atiquzzaman said that the allocation of new blocks would increase exploration activities of BAPEX.
BAPEX would exclusively explore its onshore hydrocarbon blocks, he said.
Several BAPEX officials expressed dismay over the decision of the government to hand over ownership of the gas fields to be discovered in blocks 12, 13 and 14 to BGFCL and SGFL though BAPEX identified several prospective zones through seismic surveys it carried out spending its money.
They said in last 20 years, since they got the responsibility BGFCL and SGFL showed no interest to explore the blocks. Until Wednesday, BAPEX was assigned to explore only two onshore blocks 8 and 11 and 17 ring fenced areas.
BAPEX supplies 107 million cubic feet of natural gas per day from seven gas fields it owns and operates, five of them small reserves.
BAPEX supplies only four per cent of nationwide gas supplies. Experts repeatedly demanded that BAPEX, being the lone state owned Exploration Company with the expertise, be given the ownership of larger gas fields and the potential hydrocarbon blocks to strengthen its financial muscle.
The government has initiated to strengthen the Bangladesh Petroleum Exploration and Production Company Limited (BAPEX) for exploring oil and gas both in onshore and offshore blocks.
Now, BAPEX has nine out of 28 onshore blocks for exploration and production of oil and gas. The government awarded seven onshore blocks to BAPEX last week for exploring hydrocarbon there, said Md Atiquzzaman, Managing Director of BAPEX.
State-run BAPEX will start work as soon as possible for exploration and production of oil and gas as per the energy division’s directive, he said.
In July 2015, Bapex had demanded 18 onshore blocks. He said that the seven new blocks bagged by BAPEX includes a number of potential fields for striking oil and gas.
The government awarded block-9 to BAPEX on the condition that it would not get its five ring fenced areas, as they had been given to state-run Bangladesh Gas Fields Company Limited earlier.
Bakhrabad Gas Field and a part of Titas Gas Field are located in the ring fenced areas, said officials.
In the same order, the energy division said that exploration for oil and gas in the
lead prospect areas in onshore blocks 12, 13 and 14 would jointly carried out by BAPEX, BGFCL and state-run Sylhet Gas Fields Limited.
Gas fields to be discovered in the three offshore blocks would be owned and operated by BGFCL and SGFL, said the energy division’s order.
Exploration of the three blocks were relinquished by UNICOL at different times until 2000, after retaining three big gas fields it found at Jalalabad, Bibiyana and Moulvibazaar.
After UNICOL left, US oil giant Chevron took over the three gas fields under separate production sharing contracts.
The energy division also asked Petrobangla to prepare a revised map of the onshore hydrocarbon blocks. Inviting international oil companies for oil and gas explorations in the remaining hydrocarbon blocks is under the government’s consideration, said energy division officials.
BAPEX would explore onshore blocks 3-B, 6-B, 7, 10, 15, 22-A and 22-B for oil and gas and own and operate the gas fields on discovery, said the energy division order.
When asked, Atiquzzaman said that the allocation of new blocks would increase exploration activities of BAPEX.
BAPEX would exclusively explore its onshore hydrocarbon blocks, he said.
Several BAPEX officials expressed dismay over the decision of the government to hand over ownership of the gas fields to be discovered in blocks 12, 13 and 14 to BGFCL and SGFL though BAPEX identified several prospective zones through seismic surveys it carried out spending its money.
They said in last 20 years, since they got the responsibility BGFCL and SGFL showed no interest to explore the blocks. Until Wednesday, BAPEX was assigned to explore only two onshore blocks 8 and 11 and 17 ring fenced areas.
BAPEX supplies 107 million cubic feet of natural gas per day from seven gas fields it owns and operates, five of them small reserves.
BAPEX supplies only four per cent of nationwide gas supplies. Experts repeatedly demanded that BAPEX, being the lone state owned Exploration Company with the expertise, be given the ownership of larger gas fields and the potential hydrocarbon blocks to strengthen its financial muscle.
