New gas find
The discovery of 1 trillion cubic feet of natural gas at the Rashidpur gas field raises hope for addressing the energy crisis. This has been achieved at nearly half the cost of the international exploration companies.
This will significantly boost energy supply. According to Bangladesh Petroleum Exploration and Production, Ltd. (BAPEX), a subsidiary of Petrobangla, it will increase the total gas reserves past the 3 TCF mark. However, this will require investments in sophisticated equipment and infrastructure for extraction and utilisation.
The domestic demand for gas has outstripped supply due to rapid economic growth. As a result, the supply of gas to energy-based new factories had to be reduced. It should be noted also that the major portion of electricity is also fueled by gas.
This new find raises the hopes and the confidence in our indigenous capacity in the field. It provides encouragement and boosts the self-confidence of the mineralogists and engineers involved in the exploration of natural gas.
BAPEX had found gas previously and in some instances, lease was unfortunately given to non-indigenous organizations. This will hopefully not recur.
This news is welcome and a great relief because without the finding and tapping of new gas sources, the country would have depleted its domestic gas supply by 2015 if the current rates of consumption were maintained.
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