Tobgi-1 well in Bhola has 239bcf of gas: Nasrul Hamid

The drilling of the Tobgi-1 exploratory well in the Shahbazpur gas field in Bhola has been successful and the probable gas reserves in the well are about 239 billion cubic feet (bcf), said State Minister for Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Nasrul Hamid.

"Gas production from there will be possible for 30 to 31 years at an average rate of 20 million cubic feet (mmcf) per day," he said while talking to reporters on Thursday.

The estimated value of the gas is about Tk8,059 crore, he added.

Bangladesh's annual consumption of gas stands at 950bcf against the demand for 1.5 trillion cubic feet, according to the Bangladesh Oil, Gas and Mineral Resources Corporation (Petrobangla).

Petrobangla supplies 2,600mmcf to different sectors per day while the demand is 3,400-3,500mmcf.

Nasrul Hamid said the government is working to find domestic sources of energy.

"To this end, Petrobangla plans to drill 46 exploration, development, and workover wells during the period 2022-2025," the state minister said.

As a part of this, under the supervision of Bapex, through Gazprom, on 19 August 2022, the drilling of Tobgi-1 exploratory well started with the aim of digging up to a depth of about 3,500 metres, he noted. 

"By the grace of Almighty Allah, on 29 September 2022, excavation work was successfully completed at a depth of 3,524 metres," he added. 

Nasrul Hamid also said two more wells, Elisha-1 and Bhola North-2, will be excavated in phases by June 2023.

After the completion of the project, 46-55mcf of gas will be available from the three wells, he added. 

"A lot of gas has been saved by rolling power cuts in the last three months, due to which it has been possible to supply uninterrupted gas to industrial plants. The electricity situation is improving, which will improve further in November-February," the state minister said.
Load shedding will start reducing this month. In the next few months, it will reduce further, he added.

Gas supply to private vehicles will not be stopped, the state minister further said.

Nasrul Hamid also said they supplied the same amount of gas to the industrial sector in September as they did in the same month last year. 

The demand for gas in power plants has gone up. At the same time, industries have scaled up production. As a result, there is a need for 100mmcf more gas, he continued. 

They have been saving energy through power rationing even though the situation is still under control, he also said. 

"There is no denying that all of us are suffering," said Nasrul Hamid, adding that every country is worried about energy.

Industrialists met with the commerce minister and recommended steps to stop the supply of CNG gas for private vehicles. The initiative will help decrease the prices of essentials. 

Nasrul Hamid told the reporters that as the CNG pump owners made a big investment, this cannot be done.  

"We cannot stop one business for another," he also said.    

Nasrul Hamid is very hopeful that there will be no problem in the months of November, December, January and February - when the winter falls. 

"We are thinking about what we will do from [next] March," he noted.