Noakhali’s New Gas Well to Supply 10 Million Cubic Feet Daily to National Grid

A new gas discovery has been made after drilling was completed at the Sundalpur South-1 exploration well in Ramapur union of Noakhali’s Companiganj upazila. The reserve in the well’s two zones is estimated at 97.69 billion cubic feet. Ten million cubic feet of gas a day is expected to be added to the national grid from here.

Authorities confirmed the presence of gas yesterday evening through a formal flaring ceremony. With this, another new prospect has opened up for the country’s energy sector.

Bangladesh Petroleum Exploration and Production Company Limited (BAPEX), the state-owned energy company, said drilling of the well, which began earlier this year, was completed yesterday. Drilling started under the overall initiative of the Ministry of Power, Energy and Mineral Resources, based on the report of a 3D seismic survey conducted by BAPEX.

BAPEX sources said drilling at the Sundalpur South-1 exploration well was formally launched earlier this year using BAPEX’s own rig, “Bijoy-10”. During the operation, which ran for about three and a half months, the well was successfully drilled to a depth of 3,289 metres. Subsequent tests found gas in two separate zones of the well.

According to BAPEX, the two zones hold a total of 9,769 crore cubic feet, or 97.69 BCF, of gas. At the current consumer-level market price, the estimated value of this gas is Tk 5,809 crore.

Officials concerned with the project said they expect around 10 million cubic feet of gas a day to be added to the national grid from the well once testing is completed successfully.

Mohammad Mozammel Haque, project director of the Sundalpur South-1 exploration well, confirmed the discovery and said it would be possible to say definitively whether the well also holds oil or any other mineral after 15 days of close monitoring and a DST (drill stem test).

BAPEX drilling in-charge Rakibul Hasan also confirmed the matter, saying that after the long-running drilling work, the presence of gas was confirmed yesterday through flaring.

Companiganj upazila nirbahi officer (UNO) Md. Masudur Rahman said it is hoped the new gas discovery will open a new door of possibilities for the country’s energy sector. He said that people in Noakhali, along with those in Companiganj, are delighted at the news.

Mohammad Fakhrul Islam, member of parliament for Noakhali-5, said the discovery of new gas in Companiganj is a matter of great joy and pride for the people of Noakhali. “We are hopeful that this discovery will play an important role in tackling the country’s energy crisis,” he said.

He said the gas resource would create new opportunities for industrialisation, employment and economic development in Companiganj and across Noakhali. He expressed hope that the necessary tests would be completed quickly and that steps would be taken to connect the gas to the national grid. He also called on the authorities concerned to ensure that local people benefit from it.