Bangora gas field resumes supply

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M Azizur Rahman
Irish Tullow Oil has resumed gas supply from its onshore Bangora gas field on Thursday evening, a couple of weeks after suspension of production from the field, officials said Friday.
"Tullow started supplying 90 million cubic feet (mmcfd) of gas per day from 6:10 pm Thursday," Petrobangla chairman Dr Hossain Monsur told the FE.
He expressed the hope that the company would start supplying 120 mmcfd of gas which it used to supply before suspension of production.
Resumption of gas supply from Tullow-operated Bangora field is a great relief for the government as it has been struggling hard to cope with the mounting demand for gas.
Country's overall gas supply ramped up to around 1,960 mmcfd from the past two week's average of 1,860 mmcfd after resumption of Bangora operation.
Karnaphuli fertilizer Company (Kafco) is set to resume full operation with the resumption of supply from Bangora gas field.
Production from Bangora gas field under block-9, some 100 kilometers off the capital, was suspended on June 8 due to a glitch in pipeline.
The off-take point of the transmission line that linked the field with the national grid developed fault resulting in suspension of gas supplies.
Tullow had to replace 110 meter pipe for reinitiating gas supplies, the Petrobangla official said.
Bangladesh's gas-fed industries, especially in southern Chittagong region, was the worst affected due to the abrupt gas supply suspension from Bangora field.
Petrobangla had squeezed gas supply to Kafco after the incident.
Tullow had raised gas output by 20 per cent in November last year on completion of drilling a new well from its previous output of 100 mmcfd.
The Irish company has a 30 per cent operating stake in block 9, with Canada's Niko Resources 60 per cent and Petrobangla's subsidiary Bapex's 10 per cent.
Bangora started gas production in May 2006 at the rate of 70 mmcfd.
Tullow is now waiting to sign a fresh production sharing contract (PSC) with the state-owned Petrobangla for a new offshore gas block SS-08-05 for which it was selected under the country's 2008 licensing round.
Tullow along with its partners - French Total, Thai PTTEP and US Oakland and Rexwood - however relinquished exploration rights for blocks 17 and 18 in March 2009.
Bangladesh is now facing acute gas crisis that leads to suspension of new supplies and maintaining gas rationing in industries after closing down three state-owned fertilizer factories.
The country has introduced staggered holidays in industries to cope with the mounting gas demand.