Natural Resources of Bangladesh
Natural gas and oil
There are 22 discovered gas fields in Bangladesh of various sizes. The total reserve of 20 gas fields is about 26 Tcf (trillion cubic feet). Gas in most of the fields is dry, in a few fields it is wet. For example at Beanibazar (16 bbl/mmcfg), Jalalabad (15 bbl/mmcfg), and Kailashtila (13 bbl/mmcfg). Currently, natural gas accounts for more than 70% of the total commercial energy consumption and the major part of the future energy demand would be met from it.
Power sector ranks the highest (44%) ,fertiliser sector ranks the second (28%), and industry, domestic, commercial and other sectors together rank third (22%) in gas consumption. Currently 12 gas fields under public and private sectors are in production with gas supply between 900 and 930 mmcfg per day.
Bangladesh has some oil reserves near Haripur in the eastern hilly district of Sylhet, but these have yet to be developed. The Haripur reserves are estimated at 40 Mbbl, and the total resource is likely to be much higher.
The search of oil and gas in the area constituting Bangladesh began in the later part of the 19th century through some isolated geological mapping. The first serious attempt to find oil and gas was undertaken in Sitakund in 1908 by the Indian Petroleum Prospecting Company. During 1923-31 Burmah Oil Company (BOC) drilled two shallow wells in Patharia. The wells were abandoned though there was a reported occurrence of oil. A total of 6 exploratory wells were drilled, the deepest being 1047 meters. There was however no discovery and the Second World War disrupted further activity.
After the liberation of Bangladesh, Bangladesh Oil, Gas and Mineral Corporation (Petrobangla) was formed, while the Bangladesh Petroleum Act was enacted in 1974. The offshore area of Bangladesh was divided in to 6 blocks, which were taken up by Ashland, ARCO, BODC (Japex), Union Oil, Canadian Superior Oil and Ina Naftaplin under production sharing contract. These companies 7 offshore wells
There are 22 discovered gas fields in Bangladesh of various sizes. The total reserve of 20 gas fields is about 26 Tcf (trillion cubic feet). Gas in most of the fields is dry, in a few fields it is wet. For example at Beanibazar (16 bbl/mmcfg), Jalalabad (15 bbl/mmcfg), and Kailashtila (13 bbl/mmcfg). Currently, natural gas accounts for more than 70% of the total commercial energy consumption and the major part of the future energy demand would be met from it.
Power sector ranks the highest (44%) ,fertiliser sector ranks the second (28%), and industry, domestic, commercial and other sectors together rank third (22%) in gas consumption. Currently 12 gas fields under public and private sectors are in production with gas supply between 900 and 930 mmcfg per day.
Bangladesh has some oil reserves near Haripur in the eastern hilly district of Sylhet, but these have yet to be developed. The Haripur reserves are estimated at 40 Mbbl, and the total resource is likely to be much higher.
The search of oil and gas in the area constituting Bangladesh began in the later part of the 19th century through some isolated geological mapping. The first serious attempt to find oil and gas was undertaken in Sitakund in 1908 by the Indian Petroleum Prospecting Company. During 1923-31 Burmah Oil Company (BOC) drilled two shallow wells in Patharia. The wells were abandoned though there was a reported occurrence of oil. A total of 6 exploratory wells were drilled, the deepest being 1047 meters. There was however no discovery and the Second World War disrupted further activity.
After the liberation of Bangladesh, Bangladesh Oil, Gas and Mineral Corporation (Petrobangla) was formed, while the Bangladesh Petroleum Act was enacted in 1974. The offshore area of Bangladesh was divided in to 6 blocks, which were taken up by Ashland, ARCO, BODC (Japex), Union Oil, Canadian Superior Oil and Ina Naftaplin under production sharing contract. These companies 7 offshore wells