Big flop for Bapex

The Petrobangla forecast 'discovery' of a gas field having no less than two trillion cubic feet of reserve in a potential spot in Netrakona-Sunamganj area on the basis of a seismic survey two years ago.
However, upon drilling an exploratory well there, the Bangladesh Petroleum Exploration Company (Bapex) found no usable gas in that spot that they had named “Sunetra”.
As the exploration affiliate of Petrobangla, Bapex drilled a well up to 4,500 metres deep. Except for hitting some small pockets of gas which is not worth extracting, Bapex found nothing useful there.
Right now, Bapex is busy recovering a drilling pipe that got stuck in that well during the operation. Within this week, upon recovering the pipe, the company would start “logging” that is making a detailed record of the geologic formations penetrated by the borehole.
“Upon completion of the logging, we would be able to decide whether we should further drill this well by another 500 metres or not. Without logging, we cannot understand the true nature of the geological structure down there,” said a top official of Bapex requesting anonymity.
“There had been no sign of any big hydrocarbon reserve during the drilling. The structure was big. If there was any gas discovery, it would have been very big,” he said referring to the previous forecast made by both Bapex and Petrobangla that there will be no less than 2 tcf gas in this zone.
This implies a huge blow to the government's energy plans that include installation of a massive 32-inch Bibiyana-to-Dhanua pipeline to increase gas flow to the national grid.
The Gas Transmission Company Limited had opted for a 36-inch 138-km pipeline instead of 16-inch or 20-inch to bring 300 mmcfd gas from Bibiyana because of Petrobangla's suggestion that there would be huge gas in Sunetra which could be added to this pipeline.
Now that there won't be any 'big' gas supply from Sunetra, this pipeline, under tendering process, has become impractical.
In addition, the government's plans for some gas-fired power plants in the future and increase in gas supplies in 2014-15 will also be dismissed or affected.
The Bapex started drilling in Sunetra since late August. The Sunetra zone is located in the eastern part of block 11 which was awarded to Bapex.
It had initially targeted drilling 3,700 metres with a secondary target of 4,000 metres. As there had been no sign of gas discovery, the Petrobangla chief asked for further drilling to secure a success.
“If we ultimately find nothing, it will have a negative impact on Bapex's further exploration in block 11. This eastern part of the block had high prospects. The western parts have lower prospects,” the source pointed out.
Ironically, every time the Petrobangla chief declared discovery of new gas on the basis of seismic surveys, he was rewarded by extension of his service contract. Through press briefings he had even claimed discovery of new gas in already discovered fields and had given forecasts of amazing rise in gas supplies in the coming years which is actually not happening.
Others in the energy sector trash such claims saying a discovery can be made only through drilling a well. They also say once a field is discovered, new gas findings are considered natural part of the process and these are not discoveries.
At a press conference in April last year, Petrobangla Chairman Dr Husain Monsur said the gas supplies will rise by 1,785 million cubic feet per day (mmcfd) in June 2013.
By December 2015, due to the programmes taken by Petrobangla and its subsidiaries, another 680 mmcfd gas will be added, exceeding the country's demands.
But in last August, he revised down the figure to 550 mmcfd for December 2013.