Although the Sylhet-10 well located in Joyintapur in Sylhet district is ready for gas extraction, it is not possible to extract gas from the well due to the lack of a pipeline. However, gas from the Sylhet-10 well may be available by February. It is expected that 20 to 25 million cubic feet of gas can be produced from this well daily.
The work of laying a 6-inch diameter pipeline from the well to Haripur is underway. According to sources from Sylhet Gas Field Company Limited (SGFCL), the pipeline construction work is in its final stages.
Petrobangla Chairman Janendra Nath Sarkar told Barta24.com, we had made efforts to complete the pipeline construction work by December. The work has been delayed due to some complications in the Roads and Highways Department (R&HD). About three kilometers of pipeline are left, we have instructed to complete it within a month. A Petrobangla team will visit Sylhet soon. If necessary, a quick solution will be found by sitting with the R&HD.
The well is coming into production at a time when summer, Ramadan and the irrigation season are coming together. This news is considered a great relief in the face of the gas crisis. The drilling of the well was completed in November 2023, and 3 layers of gas were found in the well along with oil. The layers are located at depths of 2460 to 2475 meters, 2540 to 2576 meters and 3300 meters. The Division of Energy and Mineral Resources expects that the potential reserves of gas could be 43.6 to 106 billion cubic feet.
The drilling of Well No. 10 in Sylhet was done with the Gas Development Fund and Sylhet Gas Fields Limited's own funding. For this, an agreement was signed with Sinopec International Petroleum Service Corporation, China, on September 11, 2022. SGFCL has confirmed the presence of gas as well as oil in the well. Another well (Sylhet-10X) is under drilling next to that well. The drilling of that well will be completed by June 2026. It is expected to produce 45 to 50 million cubic feet of gas per day.
The oil location of the Sylhet-10 well has been identified at a depth of 1,397-1,445 meters. On the first day, 70 barrels of oil were produced in 2 hours. The well has been closed for now. A consultancy firm has been appointed to confirm the storage. That firm has also already submitted a report. The audit of that report is underway, said Petrobangla Chairman Janendra Nath Sarkar.
In response to a question, the Petrobangla Chairman told Barta24.com that the quality of the oil is of superior quality. We sent the oil obtained from Sylhet-10 to BUET and Eastern Refinery, and they reported that it was of excellent quality.
At one time, 2,800 million cubic feet of gas was obtained daily from domestic gas fields. Only 1930 million cubic feet were produced on December 23. The production of domestic gas fields is decreasing every day. Petrobangla estimates that the country's gas demand will exceed 4500 million in the 2026-27 fiscal year. Although some want to say that the actual demand for gas is now over 4500.
According to Petrobangla sources, the average price of gas purchased from the state-owned Sylhet Gas Field Company Limited at a rate of 1 taka, from Bangladesh Gas Field Company at a rate of 1.25 taka, from Bapex at a rate of 4 taka, and from multinational companies Chevron Bangladesh and Tallo stands at 6.07 taka per cubic meter. Gas is available from these domestic sources at a rate of approximately 2000 million cubic feet per day. On the other hand, 900 million gas is being supplied from LNG imports. After one-third of the imports, the average price has increased from 6.06 taka to 24.38 taka (2023-24 fiscal year). The addition of 20 to 25 million cubic meters of gas daily from the most affordable source (1 taka per cubic meter) is certainly good news.