Gas production reaches highest ever level
Wednesday, 8 April 2009
FE Report
Country's gas production reached the highest ever 1900 million cubic feet per day (mmcfd) Monday riding on mounting output of onshore gas supplies especially by the international oil companies (IOCs).
Petrobangla officials said gas production from the country's total 18 operational gas fields was 20 mmcfd more than their total production capacity of 1,870 mmcfd as the authorities were pressing on the system to make sure plants get adequate energy supply for power generation.
A total of 1,878mmcfd of gas was consumed in power plants, industrial units, boilers, fertiliser factories and cooking burners across the country on Monday.
Gas output by the IOCs accounted for 998 mmcfd from six operational gas fields against their production capacity of 943 mmcfd.
The state-owned gas companies produced a total of 901 mmcfd from 12 operational gas fields against their production capacity of 927mmcfd.
The country has been facing an acute crisis of gas since 2007, which has hit scores of industrial plants especially in the port city of Chittagong where projects worth billions of taka could not start operation.
The government forecasts the nation's current gas reserves will run out by 2014-2015 at the present rate of consumption.
The country's economy has been growing at an average six per cent in the last four years, leading to the gas crisis, which now stands at around 250mmcf a day.
Petrobangla officials said natural gas was discovered in the country in 1955 and production started in 1960.
In the initial decade of gas production, from 1961-1970, the country's total gas consumption was only 67 billion cubic feet (Bcf), which rose to 279 Bcf the following decade from 1971-80, 1.06 trillion cubic feet (Tcf) during 1981-90 and thereafter 2.49 Tcf during 1991-2000.
Country's gas production reached the highest ever 1900 million cubic feet per day (mmcfd) Monday riding on mounting output of onshore gas supplies especially by the international oil companies (IOCs).
Petrobangla officials said gas production from the country's total 18 operational gas fields was 20 mmcfd more than their total production capacity of 1,870 mmcfd as the authorities were pressing on the system to make sure plants get adequate energy supply for power generation.
A total of 1,878mmcfd of gas was consumed in power plants, industrial units, boilers, fertiliser factories and cooking burners across the country on Monday.
Gas output by the IOCs accounted for 998 mmcfd from six operational gas fields against their production capacity of 943 mmcfd.
The state-owned gas companies produced a total of 901 mmcfd from 12 operational gas fields against their production capacity of 927mmcfd.
The country has been facing an acute crisis of gas since 2007, which has hit scores of industrial plants especially in the port city of Chittagong where projects worth billions of taka could not start operation.
The government forecasts the nation's current gas reserves will run out by 2014-2015 at the present rate of consumption.
The country's economy has been growing at an average six per cent in the last four years, leading to the gas crisis, which now stands at around 250mmcf a day.
Petrobangla officials said natural gas was discovered in the country in 1955 and production started in 1960.
In the initial decade of gas production, from 1961-1970, the country's total gas consumption was only 67 billion cubic feet (Bcf), which rose to 279 Bcf the following decade from 1971-80, 1.06 trillion cubic feet (Tcf) during 1981-90 and thereafter 2.49 Tcf during 1991-2000.