International energy companies Chevron and Tullow will run maintenance works at their Bangladesh units this week, which would cut gas supply to the national grid by one third for at least three days.
The gas supply shortage is not an issue of major concern as there would be a sharp fall in the demand during the Eid vacation beginning from today, state-owned oil, gas and mineral corporation Petrobangla said.
Chevron's Bibiyana field, the largest in the country with an output of about 810 million cubic feet of gas (mmcfd) per day, would start maintenance work Friday night or Saturday early morning, said Muhammad Imaduddin, director of production sharing contract of Petrobangla. Bibiyana's operation will remain shut for 72 hours.
British-based Tullow will keep the production of Bangura gas field in Comilla suspended for four days from Monday. The gas field produces 100 mmcfd per day.
So, there will be a day of overlap when the two companies carry out maintenance works, Imaduddin said. "But we hope by Monday Chevron will finish off its work and get back to its operation."
The two companies earlier requested Petrobangla to shut down some power plants for the period, said Petrobangla Chairman Hossain Monsur. There was no way but to do the maintenance, he said, adding the international companies did this on a regular basis.
"The international companies conduct maintenance works during Eid vacation so that the impact remains very low."
The demand for gas goes down by a third to 1,400 mmcfd during the vacation when most industries remain shut. So, it is the perfect time for the international oil companies -- which account for about half of the country's total gas production of 2,250 mmcfd -- to do the maintenance.
Earlier during Eid-ul-Fitr in August, Chevron, Tullow and Australia's Santos carried out maintenance works in their fields.