Six more gas projects on cards to raise supply

The Energy Ministry has worked out a plan to implement six more gas projects involving Tk 12.37 billion under the Gas Development Fund (GDF), a special fund created by the government with consumers' money derived from increased gas price, reports UNB.
While passing an order on increasing the gas price at consumers' level in 2009, the energy watchdog asked the government to utilise the extra money received from the consumers by hiking price in the development of gas sector.
Official sources said a recent high-level meeting at the Energy Ministry recommended the projects.
Under the six projects, they said, three development and two appraisal wells will be drilled at different gas fields, while a compressor station will be set up and re-completion drilling work will be done in the Bakhrabad Gas Field.
According to official sources, well No-9 will be drilled at Sylhet gas field at a cost of Tk 1.938 billion from December 2013 to June 2016 while well No-9 at Koilashtila gas field costing 1.843 billion during November 2013 to December 2015 and well No-9 at Rashidpur gas field will be dug involving Tk 2.23 billion.
Two exploration wells (well No-10 & 12) will be drilled at Rashidpur gas field spending Tk 4.729 billion.
Bapex is expected to be engaged in the drilling projects for carrying out the jobs.
A gas compressor station will be set up at Bakhrabad gas field while re-completion work at its well No-5 will be done under a project.
Once all the projects are completed, they will help augment about 100 million cubic gas per day (mmcfd) to the national grid, the officials said.
Of them, the Sylhet gas field will add 15 mmcfd of gas to or produce 300 barrel of oil, while Koilashtila field will provide 25 mmcfd of additional gas, and Rashidpur will add 10 mmcfd of gas to the national grid.
The officials expect another 30 mmcfd of gas from two exploration wells at the Rashipur gas field.
Drilling of exploration and development wells will be carried out under the state-owned company of Sylhet Gas Field Limited (SGFL) while compressor project will be implemented by the Bangladesh Gas Fields Limited.
Ministry officials noted that about Tk 31.65 billion was mobilised in the account of GDF as of March 2014. Of this, so far Tk 9.64 billion has been utilised for implementing 12 projects in the gas sector which mostly included the drilling of wells at different gas fields.
The government has identified a total of 19 projects on priority basis to implement through financing from the GDF which required Tk 38.31 billion.
As per instruction of the Bangladesh Energy Regulatory Commission (BERC), the Energy Ministry created the GDF in 2012 to implement development projects in the energy sector.