Gas supply shortage hits electricity, fertiliser production in Ctg

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M Azizur Rahman
Decreasing gas supply from some gas fields is forcing closure of a number of electricity generation units and hampering fertiliser production in Chittagong.
Power Division sources said generation of at least 150 megawatts (MW) of electricity is being affected especially in Rauzan and Shikalbaha power plants in Chittagong due to gas supply shortage there.
Production at Karnaphuli Fertiliser Company (Kafco) and Chittagong Urea Fertiliser Limited (CUFL) might face a serious setback if the gas supply problem continues, they feared.
Energy and Mineral Resources Division (EMRD) sources said production from the country's lone offshore Sangu gas field reached a record low of 81 million cubic feet per day (mmcfd) last week from the previous year's level of 150 mmcfd.
Despite re-perforation by the Scottish Cairn Energy last winter gas production from the offshore gas field did not increase.
Gas production from Sangu gas field is rather declining after the re-perforation, a senior EMRD official told the FE.
Besides, gas production from the Niko-operated Feni gas field has now reached its lowest 5.0 mmcfd from the previous year's 24 mmcfd.
Production from the Feni gas field is declining further, he added.
"To overcome the possible setback, the parent state-owned gas entity -Petrobangla - has planned to explore a number of new gas fields including Begumganj and Semutang for supplying gas to Chittagong," a senior Petrobangla official said.
Three state-owned gas companies - Bangladesh Gas Fields Company Ltd (BGFCL), Sylhet Gas Fields Ltd (SGFCL) and Bangladesh Petroleum Exploration and Production Company Ltd. (BAPEX) - have joined hands to explore the Begumganj gas field under a joint venture, he said.
He said the Petrobangla has already sought funding assistance worth US$ 150 million from the World Bank (WB) to explore the Semutang gas field.
Cairn has already been asked by the EMRD to enhance gas production from its fields.
Niko have also been asked to increase production from Feni gas field, he said elaborating the measures to increase gas supply in the Chittagong region.