44 foreign cos line up for drilling gas fields
Tuesday, 3 November 2009
M Azizur Rahman
Global energy companies responded spontaneously to tap potential reserves in the country's unexplored state-owned onshore gas fields and carry out seismic surveys to shore up the government move for raising natural gas output, officials said Monday.
Forty four companies from across the world including the US, UK, Australia, Russia, Canada, France, Japan, China, Singapore, Malaysia, UAE, Oman and India have queued up to conduct drilling and seismic activities in the onshore gas fields, Petrobangla officials said.
State-owned Petrobangla sought expressions of interest (EoI) in September to
drill six wells and carry out 3,100 line kilometres of 2-D seismic surveys on 'fast-track' to raise gas production and meet the mounting energy demands for industries and power plants.
As many as 25 companies including US Parker, Jwe UK, Australia's Bareqa Drilling, PNG Drilling of Russia, Canada's Simmons Drilling, Chinese Sinopec, Weathercoat Asia Pacific and Sun Drilling of Singapore submitted EoIs for drilling six wells.
Polish Poszukiwania Nastyi Gazu Krakow, UAE based Atlantic Oil Fields and ETA Star Holding, Malaysian Senergy Intl and Orogenic Resources, Oman's NB Petroleum Services of and Indian Quippo Oil and Gas, Jaydee Energy, John Energy Ltd, Baker Hughes and Deawanchand Ramsaran Industries also have intended to drill the onshore gas wells.
Nineteen foreign companies including US Global Geophysical Services, Australia's TGS - Nopec Geophysical Company Ltd, Chinese Sinopec Intl petroleum Services and, SGC Shengli Geophysics Corporation, Japanese JGI Inc, Turkish Merty Energy Hizmetlerias and French CGG Veritas submitted EoIs to coduct seismic programmes.
Singapore's YJP Surveyors, UAE's Alma Rosue Terraseis and Cellseis Geophysical and Indian Mindset Seismic, Pan India, Alpha Geo and Jet Peb are also keen to conduct the seismic programmes.
"We are overwhelmed by the response," said the newly appointed Petrobangla Chairman Dr Hossain Monsur.
He said the global companies enthusiasm was due to the government's determination to develop the country's energy sector for accelerating growth.
"We will shortlist contractors to drill five gas wells and fast-track work on another," Mr Monsur said adding, "the evaluation will be completed by November."
The government will bear the cost of the drilling and seismic programs, he said.
Petrobangla expects a daily gas output of 25 million cubic feet from every well after drilling and production begins by 2012 next.
Of the six wells - four wells will be drilled in Titas gas field, owned by Petrobangla's subsidiary Bangladesh Gas Fields Company Ltd., one in Rashidpur gas field owned by another subsidiary Sylhet Gas Fields Company Ltd.
The well to be worked over is also in Rashidpur field.
Petrobangla will also short list foreign contractors for surveying four onshore state-owned gas blocks 3, 6, 8 and 11.
The seismic contractors selected will be given two working seasons to complete 2-D seismic surveys and submit the analyzed data to Petrobangla.
The country for the first time opened state-owned fields to foreign companies due to capacity constraints of the state-owned gas exploration company -- Bangladesh Petroleum Exploration and Production Company (Bapex).
Bapex suggested the government to hire foreign companies, as what the company said, its two aged rigs are fully booked until December 2011 and can survey only 300 line km per year, a senior Bapex official said.
The country urgently needs new energy sources as government forecasts indicate its current gas reserves will run out by 2014-2015 at current consumption rate.
Its proven reserves stand at 6.93 trillion cubic feet (Tcf) and probable reserves at 5.5 Tcf.
The government has stopped providing new gas connections to bulk consumers including industries and power plants due to its short supply and decided to continue the move until the country's overall daily gas output reaches over 2200 mmcf.
Country's current gas production is now hovering around 1980-mmcf daily having a daily shortfall of around 250 mmcf.
Global energy companies responded spontaneously to tap potential reserves in the country's unexplored state-owned onshore gas fields and carry out seismic surveys to shore up the government move for raising natural gas output, officials said Monday.
Forty four companies from across the world including the US, UK, Australia, Russia, Canada, France, Japan, China, Singapore, Malaysia, UAE, Oman and India have queued up to conduct drilling and seismic activities in the onshore gas fields, Petrobangla officials said.
State-owned Petrobangla sought expressions of interest (EoI) in September to
drill six wells and carry out 3,100 line kilometres of 2-D seismic surveys on 'fast-track' to raise gas production and meet the mounting energy demands for industries and power plants.
As many as 25 companies including US Parker, Jwe UK, Australia's Bareqa Drilling, PNG Drilling of Russia, Canada's Simmons Drilling, Chinese Sinopec, Weathercoat Asia Pacific and Sun Drilling of Singapore submitted EoIs for drilling six wells.
Polish Poszukiwania Nastyi Gazu Krakow, UAE based Atlantic Oil Fields and ETA Star Holding, Malaysian Senergy Intl and Orogenic Resources, Oman's NB Petroleum Services of and Indian Quippo Oil and Gas, Jaydee Energy, John Energy Ltd, Baker Hughes and Deawanchand Ramsaran Industries also have intended to drill the onshore gas wells.
Nineteen foreign companies including US Global Geophysical Services, Australia's TGS - Nopec Geophysical Company Ltd, Chinese Sinopec Intl petroleum Services and, SGC Shengli Geophysics Corporation, Japanese JGI Inc, Turkish Merty Energy Hizmetlerias and French CGG Veritas submitted EoIs to coduct seismic programmes.
Singapore's YJP Surveyors, UAE's Alma Rosue Terraseis and Cellseis Geophysical and Indian Mindset Seismic, Pan India, Alpha Geo and Jet Peb are also keen to conduct the seismic programmes.
"We are overwhelmed by the response," said the newly appointed Petrobangla Chairman Dr Hossain Monsur.
He said the global companies enthusiasm was due to the government's determination to develop the country's energy sector for accelerating growth.
"We will shortlist contractors to drill five gas wells and fast-track work on another," Mr Monsur said adding, "the evaluation will be completed by November."
The government will bear the cost of the drilling and seismic programs, he said.
Petrobangla expects a daily gas output of 25 million cubic feet from every well after drilling and production begins by 2012 next.
Of the six wells - four wells will be drilled in Titas gas field, owned by Petrobangla's subsidiary Bangladesh Gas Fields Company Ltd., one in Rashidpur gas field owned by another subsidiary Sylhet Gas Fields Company Ltd.
The well to be worked over is also in Rashidpur field.
Petrobangla will also short list foreign contractors for surveying four onshore state-owned gas blocks 3, 6, 8 and 11.
The seismic contractors selected will be given two working seasons to complete 2-D seismic surveys and submit the analyzed data to Petrobangla.
The country for the first time opened state-owned fields to foreign companies due to capacity constraints of the state-owned gas exploration company -- Bangladesh Petroleum Exploration and Production Company (Bapex).
Bapex suggested the government to hire foreign companies, as what the company said, its two aged rigs are fully booked until December 2011 and can survey only 300 line km per year, a senior Bapex official said.
The country urgently needs new energy sources as government forecasts indicate its current gas reserves will run out by 2014-2015 at current consumption rate.
Its proven reserves stand at 6.93 trillion cubic feet (Tcf) and probable reserves at 5.5 Tcf.
The government has stopped providing new gas connections to bulk consumers including industries and power plants due to its short supply and decided to continue the move until the country's overall daily gas output reaches over 2200 mmcf.
Country's current gas production is now hovering around 1980-mmcf daily having a daily shortfall of around 250 mmcf.