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Chevron agrees more drilling on

Bangladesh's Bibiyana gas field

BANGLADESH OFFICIALS in Bangladesh have suggested that industries and households due to a lack of gas
a 10-hour power outage that affected up to 80% supply. The US giant currently produces some
Government officials of the country could have been due to a techni- 1,481.3mn cubic feet (41.9mn cubic metres) per
have urged Chevron cal fault in a transmission line that triggered a day from the Bibiyana, Jalalabad and Moulviba-
to take part in an series of failures in the national electricity grid. zar gas fields, which account for about 60% of
upcoming licensing But considering the fact that Bangladeshi energy the country’s domestic production, according to
round. authorities have been rationing gas as a means local media.
to cope with tight supply and high costs, a gap in Government officials have urged Chevron to
the gas stream may have played a part. participate in an upcoming licensing round that
During the year, Bangladesh has made it clear Bangladesh has planned.
that it needs to expand gas supply. To that end, Bangladesh generates most of its power
state-owned Petrobangla and Chevron Bang- supply from imported gas. Dhaka has in recent
ladesh earlier this month signed several agree- months attempted to arrange more LNG imports
ments with the energy and mineral resources from Qatar, but a rise in global gas demand due
departments of the government covering the to the war in Ukraine has made it difficult to con-
drilling of new wells in an extended area of the clude a deal. The expense of buying LNG on the
offshore Bibiyana gas field. spot market has proved difficult for Bangladesh.
Under the agreements, Chevron will drill two Last month, State Minister for Power, Energy
wells, the first, BY-27, will be drilled next year, and Mineral Resources Nasrul Hamid said
and well BY-28 is planned. The agreements are domestic gas exploration and extraction would
supplemental to the Block 12 production-shar- continue on a priority basis. It was reported last
ing contract (PSC) for Bibiyana Flank Area month by local media that Sylhet Gas Fields
extension, according to Petrobangla, and is Limited is working to increase domestic gas pro-
attached to Chevron’s PSCs for Blocks 13 and 14. duction and plans to boost output by seven times
The deal adds a 60-sq km ‘flank’ to the northern its current rate by the end of 2025.
side of Chevron’s existing contract zone, an area Sylhet will work with the Bangladesh Petro-
that may expand the country’s gas reserves by an leum Exploration and Production Company
additional 1.5 trillion cubic feet (28.3bn cubic (BAPEX) to raise production from 91 mmcf
metres). (2.58 mcm) per day currently to reach 618 mmcf
Chevron has already drilled 26 wells in the (17.5 mcm) per day by the target date.
Bibiyana field, which is a significant contributor Sylhet said a 3D seismic survey, the drilling of
to the country’s supply of domestic gas. Numer- new wells, and the workover of abandoned wells
ous media reports site the difficulties created for is underway. ™

Week 40 10•October•2022 www. NEWSBASE .com P9