We highly appreciate Petrobangla’s 100-day action plan which focuses on its priority areas – exploration, development, transportation, distribution and marketing of oil, gas and mineral resources. Petrobangla’s work plan is seen as very positive when gas crisis has been crippling many industries, particularly textile and garment factories for long.
Shortage of gas supply is not only affecting production at mills and factories of the country, it has also become a bane for the residential consumers in the capital Dhaka. City dwellers often face serious problem in cooking their daily meal because of gas crisis.
The country has a shortage of more than 1,000 million cubic feet of gas per day (mmcfd) against the total demand for 4,000mmcfd, according to media reports.
Currently, about 2,300 mmcfd gas is produced from 22 gas fields in the country, while some 700 mmcfd gas is imported from different countries. The dollar crisis has forced Petrobangla to reduce its import of LNG, which intensified the crisis in recent days.
As part of its 100-day plan, the state-owned Petrobangla has taken a number of measures, including exploring new gas wells along with digging the existing ones to meet the growing gas demand. Petrobangla has a plan to dig 46 gas wells by 2025, which experts believe will greatly help ease gas crisis in the country.
Petrobangla has a plan to dig
46 gas wells by 2025, which
experts believe will greatly
help ease gas crisis in the country
As per the Petrobangla’s plan, around 618mmcfd gas to be produced from 46 new wells will be added to the national grid from 2025. The officials of the Ministry of Power, Energy and Mineral Resources, Petrobangla and other agencies concerned will have to work for ensuring uninterrupted power and energy supply in the country.
Their sincere and relentless efforts must continue to ensure smooth energy supply to the industries with an aim to boost country’s economy.
Demand for gas increases in the country during the summer season. Taking the situation into account, we think the government should keep the gas-run power plants running. Besides, we will have to extract gas from our own fields as the government is committed to ensuring energy security in the country.
Energy and power are the driving force of the country’s economy and so, there is no alternative to going for exploration of new gas wells. The ministry concerned, Petrobangla and Bapex must work together to ensure energy security in the country. The first well was drilled in Bangladesh in 1910. Since then, only 95 wells have been drilled in 110 years. Since the country’s independence, 68 oil and gas fields have been drilled in the country, while Indian state of Tripura drilled 160 wells at the same time.
It is believed that the country has huge gas reserves only in Sylhet. So, all stakeholders should attach the highest importance to research and innovation of useful technologies to explore gas for the country’s development. As the size of the economy is getting bigger day by day, the importance of fuel is increasing. Only timely decisions and effective steps can help the government to overcome the crisis.