Irreversible gas loss: A hidden risk for Bangladesh's energy security

Managing its scarce natural gas resources is critical for Bangladesh. While public discussion often focuses on shortages, imports, and rising energy costs, the permanent loss of domestic gas due to insufficient technical management—a more serious issue—receives little attention. 

If petroleum engineers are not properly involved in gas field development planning, production strategy, and long-term reservoir management, a large portion of Bangladesh's remaining gas could be lost underground forever. Once lost in this way, it cannot be recovered.

Many people assume that gas is only "lost" when it is burned or exported. In reality, gas can be lost without ever reaching the surface due to poor production management. For example, if production is too aggressive, underground pressure may drop too quickly; if compression is delayed, gas can become unable to flow; if water invasion is mismanaged, gas may be trapped behind advancing water; and if wells are drilled or shut improperly, parts of the reservoir can be bypassed.

In all these cases, though gas remains underground, it may become technically unrecoverable. A properly managed gas reservoir can typically produce up to 90% of the gas originally in place. However, premature abandonment caused by mismanagement or poor decision-making may limit recovery to only 30–50% or even less. For a gas-dependent country like Bangladesh, what may seem like a minor technical issue is indeed a national economic loss.

Petroleum engineers—especially reservoir and production engineers—are trained to prevent exactly these losses. Without their continuous involvement, such losses occur quietly and permanently. 

Bangladesh's gas sector has entered a mature, depleted phase. Many major fields are no longer in their early, easy-production years. Pressure is declining, production has become more sensitive, and the generation of water and sand further complicates the process. 

Ironically, this is where petroleum engineering expertise becomes most imperative, as every decision must take into account long-term critical questions such as whether production should be slowed to protect future recovery, when compression is necessary to avoid gas loss, how much gas can still be recovered with proper management, how to identify and manage unexpected water, how to mitigate and control sand production, and what type of equipment, such as tubing, will maximise recovery.

All such decisions must be guided by engineering calculations rather than by precedent or traditional practices used in other fields. Since every field is unique, each requires its own set of calculations. In the absence of robust petroleum engineering input, these decisions may result in the permanent loss of gas, rendering it unrecoverable as a usable resource.

We all know that oil and gas will be harder and riskier to extract worldwide in the future. The potential of Bangladesh's remaining gas is expected to be more complex than before. Future reservoirs are likely to be deeper, hotter, smaller, tighter, and more uncertain. Developing such resources therefore requires careful planning, risk assessment, economic evaluation, long-term production strategy, and continuous monitoring and adjustment. These are precisely the areas where petroleum engineers add value. Without their sufficient engagement, Bangladesh may discover gas that it cannot fully or efficiently produce, leaving much of it subsurface and unutilised forever.

Another overlooked fact is that petroleum engineers are not only technical experts—they are also trained in economic evaluation. They protect both gas and investment. Every major gas-related decision involves trade-offs, such as whether to drill now or wait, invest in compression or pursue alternatives, produce fast or maximise total recovery, or invest in developing a small field now versus a mature field.

Petroleum engineers evaluate these choices by linking underground behavior with costs, revenues, and long-term value. They calculate not only how much gas can be produced, but also whether it makes economic sense under different scenarios. Without this integrated technical-economic analysis, decisions risk being technically flawed, economically inefficient, and unsustainable in the long term. In a resource-constrained country, such mistakes are unaffordable.

Gas management is a long-term national responsibility. It requires technical and economic analysis to ensure sustainable development. Sometimes, short-term production gains achieved without engineering discipline may look successful initially, but they often result in steeper future decline, less total gain, earlier abandonment, higher import dependence, and a greater economic burden on citizens.

Strong petroleum engineering involvement ensures maximum gas supply while minimising sub-surface gas loss. Bangladeshi universities now graduate capable petroleum engineers trained in reservoir engineering, drilling, production optimisation, refining, and economic analysis. If these engineers are not systematically engaged in the gas sector, national capacity remains weak and underutilised, institutional knowledge does not accumulate, long-term planning suffers, and gas losses increase silently over time. Therefore, engaging petroleum engineers is not about job creation—it is about resource protection.

The future of Bangladesh's gas sector will not be determined solely by new discoveries or imports, but also by the prudent management of existing and future resources. If petroleum engineers are not given a central role in gas sector development and management, Bangladesh risks leaving a significant portion of its gas resources permanently underground and unavailable for use. The recognition and effective engagement of petroleum engineering expertise is therefore not optional; it is a strategic necessity for the country's long-term energy security and economic stability.

Hoshne Ara Banu is a Senior Petroleum Engineer and Adjunct Professor at Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET) and Military Institute of Science and Technology (MIST).

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions and views of The Business Standard.