Due to a gas discovery, BAPEX is drilling two more wells in Jamalpur

According to officials here today, the state-run Bangladesh Petroleum Exploration and Production Company (BAPEX) is drilling two new wells in the area after discovering gas reserves at a well in the northern Jamalpur district.

“The process of formulating a DPP (Development Project Proposal) is underway as part of our initiative to drill two more wells at the Jamalpur structure to gauge the reserve volume and extent of gas field,” an official familiar with the development told BSS.

According to him, one of the two planned wells was intended for exploration, and the other was intended for gas field development.

In June of this year, the gas reserve was found at the Jamalpur-1 well in the Madarganj Upazila of the district by BAPEX, a subsidiary of Bangladesh Oil Gas and Mineral Corporation, also referred to as Petrobangla.

At the moment, Bangladesh owns 26 offshore blocks and 22 onshore blocks.

“We have discovered gas in block-8 for the first time in the country through drilling of Jamalpur-1 exploration well by BAPEX,”   Petrobangla spokesman and deputy general manager Tariqul Islam Khan told BSS.

Officials said their preliminary tests showed signs of gas at a depth of about 2,600 meters which was detected a gas-bearing layer between 1,441 and 1,445 meters amid expert speculations of finding another layer further up in the Jamalpur-1.

Five months after drilling began, they added, the country’s 30th gas field was discovered, which is likely to increase the country’s energy supplies.

The Petrobangla spokesman said they intensified activities to drill 50 more wells alongside “workovers” in 100 more wells.

Workover, according to experts, is the costly procedure of removing and replacing production or completion machinery in order to prolong the life of already-existing wells.

According to Khan, petroleum was discovered at the Haripur gas field while drilling the Sylhet-10 well.

The Petrobangla official said feasibility studies were underway to set up Bhola-Barishal and Bhola-Khulna pipelines connecting discovered gas to the national grid.

“Gas from Bhola will be connected to the grid after successfully completion of drilling works of wells and installation of pipelines, which will play a vital role of the economic development in the southern part of the country,” he said.