The country's largest gas-field - Bibiyana - is producing above its official capacity following the 'government's pressure' for extra production to meet the country's mounting primary energy demand, said sources.
According to Petrobangla's statistics as of August 02, Bibiyana gas-field is currently producing around 1,340 million cubic feet per day (mmcfd) of gas. It is 11.66 per cent higher than the field's allowed production capacity of 1,200 mmcfd.
The production capacity of any gas-field is usually determined on the basis of gas output capacity of its wells following discussions between the operator concerned and the state-run Petrobangla. It can be changed with the variation of natural gas output from the respective gas-field, said a senior official.
But no such meeting was held recently to increase the official production capacity of the US-based Chevron-operated Bibiyana gas-field, situated in the country's gas-rich north-eastern region.
When contacted, Chevron Bangladesh communications manager Shaikh Jahidur Rahman said, "Chevron produces gas safely and reliably under agreements with the government of Bangladesh and Petrobangla. Daily gas production volumes from the Chevron-operated fields vary due to operational requirements."
"Chevron continues to engage with Petrobangla and the government to identify beneficial and economic energy solutions for the nation," he added.
Sources said gas production from Bibiyana has exceeded the capacity risking the field's structure as a 'make up' arrangement to cover the delay in supplying re-gasified LNG to consumers and the suspension of coalmine operation.
US-based Excelerate Energy Bangladesh Ltd (EEBL) brought in its first floating, storage and re-gasification unit (FSRU) at Moheshkhali LNG terminal on April 24, carrying 136,009 cubic metres of LNG from Qatari RasGas.
A senior official of Petrobangla said EEBL was supposed to start supplying re-gasified LNG to gas transmission pipeline for consumption by clients by May 06.
But the FSRU remained stranded in the Bay of Bengal for over the past three months due to technical glitches and rough weather.
To tackle the delay in supplying re-gasified LNG to consumers, gas production from Bibiyana has been increased to around 1,250 mmcfd from May 01, to around 1,300 mmcfd from June 1, and to around 1,340 mmcfd from last week.
The government wants to keep the country's overall natural gas production to the maximum level, riding on the increased output from Bibiyana gas-field, to drum up public support, as its tenure is nearing end, a Petrobangla official said.
The extra gas, produced from Bibiyana gas-field, has been provided to the gas-fired power plants in Sirajganj to handle the electricity supply shortage in the country's northern region. The supply has been facing a major setback over the past couple of weeks.
It has happened, as all the three units of Barapukuria thermal power plant, having the total capacity of 525 megawatts (MW), are under forced closure due to coal scarcity, said a top official of the state-run Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB).
The 'missing' of around 142,000 tonnes of coal, worth around Tk 2.27 billion, a couple of weeks back pushed suspension of Barapukuria coal-fired power plant operation to an indefinite period, he said.
When contacted, energy adviser of Consumers' Association of Bangladesh (CAB) M Shamsul Alam opined that the over production from Bibiyana might destroy the field's structure and result in a huge loss of the country.
Bangladesh's overall natural gas production is currently hovering around 2,760 mmcfd against the demand for over 3,300 mmcfd.
Azizjst@yahoo.com