Titas gas field to add 45mmcf gas daily from three new wells within six months
Officials expect the area around well 31 to contain around 2 trillion cubic feet of gas.
Amid the country's acute energy crisis, Bangladesh Gas Fields Company Limited (BGFCL) is expected to add at least 45 million cubic feet (mmcf) of gas daily to the national grid within the next six months from three new wells at the Titas gas field in Brahmanbaria.
BGFCL, which accounts for around 27% of the country's natural gas production, has undertaken projects to drill wells 29, 30 and 31 at the Titas gas field to boost production.
Drilling of well 31 is currently underway, while drilling of well 29 has been completed. Well 31, located in Nandanpur of Brahmanbaria Sadar upazila, began drilling on 19 April. It is the country's first and deepest exploratory gas well.
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The well is being drilled to a depth of 5,600 metres and has already reached 4,920 metres. It is also the country's highest-pressure and highest-temperature well. BGFCL expects to complete drilling this year and supply at least 15mmcf of gas daily from the well to the national grid.
Officials expect the area around well 31 to contain around 2 trillion cubic feet of gas.
According to BGFCL, well 29 has been drilled to 2,860 metres and well 30 will be drilled using the same rig.
Deep Exploration Gas Well Drilling Project Director Md Mahmudul Nawab said drilling of well 31 would take another three months to complete.
Deep Exploration Gas Well Drilling Project Director Md Mahmudul Nawab said drilling of well 31 would take another three months to complete.
"We have drilled up to 3,700 metres at Titas so far. We do not know what lies below that," he said, adding that the well was being drilled to explore the deeper layers amid the country's energy shortage.
BGFCL records show that the Titas gas field was discovered in 1962 by the then Pakistan Shell Oil Company, while commercial gas production began in 1968.
Currently, 23 producing wells at Titas supply an average of 331mmcf of gas daily to the national grid. The field's first well was drilled to 3,750 metres, making it the country's deepest well so far.
Production from existing wells has been declining as gas reserves and pressure decrease. To increase production, BGFCL undertook the drilling projects for wells 29, 30 and 31.
BGFCL Managing Director Engineer Md Abdul Jalil Pramanik said the entire drilling work on the three wells is expected to be completed within six months, after which they could supply at least 45mmcf of gas daily.
He said the additional gas would not be very large compared with demand, but would be important for the country as it would allow Bangladesh to reduce the amount of gas sourced from LNG.
BGFCL has also taken up projects to drill new wells at other gas fields it operates, which will be drilled gradually.
