Bangladesh has discovered a new natural gas reserve at Well No. 3 of the Rashidpur gas field in Bahubal upazila of Habiganj district, Sylhet Gas Fields Limited (SGFL) confirmed following recent workover operations.
The announcement was made late Sunday (September 7) by Bahubal Assistant Commissioner (Land) Md Mahbubul Islam, who confirmed the development to local media.
On September 4, both Habiganj Deputy Commissioner Faridur Rahman and the assistant commissioner visited the site to assess the findings.
According to preliminary estimates, the well has the potential to produce approximately 25.55 million cubic feet of gas over a period of 10 years. Additionally, condensate — a valuable byproduct — will also be extracted.
Based on the current price of liquefied natural gas (LNG) at Tk 65 per cubic metre, the total estimated value of gas from the well is around Tk 4,700 crore.
SGFL sources said that the successful rehabilitation of the Rashidpur-3 well was carried out by skilled engineers and technical staff from SGFL and the Bangladesh Petroleum Exploration and Production Company Limited (BAPEX). The field is operated by SGFL under state-owned Petrobangla.
Alongside Rashidpur-3, SGFL is currently engaged in several other drilling and maintenance operations, including well development at Sylhet-10X, Sylhet-11, Dupitila-1, Kailashtila-9, Rashidpur-11, and Rashidpur-13.
Workover operations are also ongoing at Kailashtila-9 and Beanibazar-2. If these initiatives succeed as expected, the country’s gas production capacity is projected to increase significantly.
The Rashidpur gas field has long been a key contributor to the nation’s energy supply. On April 30, 2012, a condensate fractionation plant with a daily capacity of 3,750 barrels was established at the site to meet growing domestic energy demands.
Besides, a 400-barrel fractionation plant and a 300-barrel-per-day catalytic reforming unit were also set up. These facilities currently process condensate into various petroleum products including petrol, diesel, kerosene, octane, and LPG.
SMS/
