Petrobangla in dire straits in resolving Ctg gas crisis
Thursday, 3 January 2008
The frustrating result from the drilling at the offshore gas-field at Magnama has been a big blow to Petrobangla in its efforts to resolve the nagging gas crisis in Chittagong, reports UNB.
Cairn Energy plc, a UK-based operator of the offshore Sangu gas-field, recently found dry after carrying out a drilling up to a depth of 4,000 metres in the Magnama structure, about 60 kilometres south of the port-city.
A top official of the Petrobangla, the country's hydrocarbon agency, admitted that this news came out to be a major concern for the country's energy sector, as, the government had earlier laid out a plan on the basis of potential gas reserve of the Magnama field.
The Cairn Energy had earlier made an estimate to have gas reserve of 3.5 trillion cubic feet (tcf) and 1.8 tcf at Magnama and Hatiya offshore fields respectively.
To confirm the reserves, the firm spent $117 million on conducting a 2D seismic survey, and started drillings in October last year at the structure.
The Petrobangla and Energy Ministry officials had an expectation that the result of the drillings at the Magnama field would be positive, and within a few years they would be able to extract huge gas from the reserve.
"We had hoped that we could get 100-150 million cubic feet of gas everyday from the Magnama field from 2010 or 2011. On that basis, we had made a plan to meet the growing gas demand in Chittagong," said a Petrobangla top official wishing anonymity.
"But now, we have to recast our plan, and go for alternative ways to address the problem of the port-city and its adjoining areas," he added.
Cairn Energy plc, a UK-based operator of the offshore Sangu gas-field, recently found dry after carrying out a drilling up to a depth of 4,000 metres in the Magnama structure, about 60 kilometres south of the port-city.
A top official of the Petrobangla, the country's hydrocarbon agency, admitted that this news came out to be a major concern for the country's energy sector, as, the government had earlier laid out a plan on the basis of potential gas reserve of the Magnama field.
The Cairn Energy had earlier made an estimate to have gas reserve of 3.5 trillion cubic feet (tcf) and 1.8 tcf at Magnama and Hatiya offshore fields respectively.
To confirm the reserves, the firm spent $117 million on conducting a 2D seismic survey, and started drillings in October last year at the structure.
The Petrobangla and Energy Ministry officials had an expectation that the result of the drillings at the Magnama field would be positive, and within a few years they would be able to extract huge gas from the reserve.
"We had hoped that we could get 100-150 million cubic feet of gas everyday from the Magnama field from 2010 or 2011. On that basis, we had made a plan to meet the growing gas demand in Chittagong," said a Petrobangla top official wishing anonymity.
"But now, we have to recast our plan, and go for alternative ways to address the problem of the port-city and its adjoining areas," he added.