A new gas well, named Ilisha-1, has been discovered in Bhola, capable of extracting 20 to 22 million cubic feet of gas daily.
BAPEX, the Bangladesh Petroleum Exploration and Production Company Limited, has successfully extracted gas experimentally from the well, bringing the total number of wells discovered in the district to nine.
If everything goes well, gas extraction will officially begin on May 15th, according to BAPEX.
The government has taken various steps to increase domestic gas production to eliminate the energy crisis in the country. The discovery of the Ilisha-1 gas field in Bhola brings hope amidst the high global fuel gas prices and the crisis.
International company Gazprom of Russia conducted the well drilling based on the BAPEX design and location, which was successfully completed on April 24th through Drill Stem Test in three levels at a depth of 3,436 meters.
BAPEX's General Manager of Geophysical Department, Alamgir Hossain, estimates that initially, 20 to 22 million cubic feet of gas will be available from this well daily, with 180 to 220 BCF of gas reserves.
However, further testing will be conducted to determine the actual production per day. The gas reserves in these wells are 1.7 TCF cubic feet.
Currently, only four wells are extracting gas, with 140 MMcf of gas being extracted per day but not fully utilised.
BSS adds: Bangladesh Petroleum Exploration and Production Company Limited (BAPEX) found natural gas in Bhola's Elisha-1 well.
Talking to BSS, Managing Director of BAPEX Mohammad Ali said they started extracting gas from the Elisha-1 well in Bhola on an experimental basis.
"We hope that reserve of some 180 to 200 billion cubic feet of gas in the well," he said.
If everything goes well, the company will extract the gas from the well from May and it is estimated that 20 to 22 million cubic feet of gas will be extracted from the well daily.
The Island district Bhola is showing the light of hope one after another amid the fuel crisis and the high price of gas energy in the global market.
Gazprom, a Russian state-owned enterprise, is operating the extraction process under the auspices of BAPEX.
With the fresh one, BAPEX has found nine wells of gas in the district so far.
The government has taken various steps in the production of domestic gas in order to overcome the energy crisis in the country.
As a part of this, BAPEX took the initiative to drill Elisha-l well in Bhola. On March 8, excavation of Elisha-1 started in the area adjacent to Malerhat in the West Elisha Union of Bhola Sadar upazila.
The drilling of the well was successfully completed on April 24 through DST (Drill Stem State) at three levels at a depth of 3:475 meters. Then BAPEX found gas through fire management at around 7 am on Friday.
