The New Nation - Internet Edition

bdnews24.com, Dhaka

Fifteen million cubit feet of gas is set to be added to the transmission line Friday, a senior government official said.

Jalal Ahmed, chairman of Bangladesh oil, gas and mineral corporation Petrobangla, said Thursday that the gas will be produced at Fenchuganj gas field.

In a span of one week, 45 million cubit feet gas will have been added to the national transmission line, with 30 million cubic feet already having been supplied from Bangura gas field in Comilla.

Jalal Ahmed said the rig now being used at Fenchuganj would be utilised for gas extraction from two more wells in Bakhrabad. Twenty million cubic feet gas will be extracted from the wells.

He said a new well would be dug in Titas gas field by December for another 25 million cubic feet of gas. The well at the Titas gas field was earlier capped as gas was leaking at different places.

The Petrobangla chief said over 300 million cubic feet of gas would be added to the national supply over the next three years.

The news comes at a time when the government temporarily barred new gas connections to new industrial factories in Chittagong due to a gas crisis. Jalal Ahmed said 10 million out of 30 million from Bangura was to be supplied to for Chittagong industry.

And the 15 million cubic feet from Fenchuganj will be routed to Dhaka.

According to Petrobangla, the country has reserves of 7.5 trillion cubic feet gas. Another, five trillion cubic feet is potentially available in various fields of the country. Probable unexploited gas reserves total 8 trillion cubic feet.

The country's 79 wells in 18 gas fields can produce 1,834 million cubic feet gas a day. On Thursday, gas production stood at 1,684 million cubic feet.

Of them, 240 million cubic feet is supplied to fertiliser factories against a demand of 289 million cubic feet, and 613 to power plants against a demand of 861 million cubic feet.