Bangladesh not running out of gas, it hasn’t explored

[Homo Sapiens]

Bangladesh not running out of gas, it hasn’t explored​

Say experts at seminar

Staff Correspondent
Sun Nov 6, 2022 12:00 AM Last update on: Sun Nov 6, 2022 12:39 AM
Photo: Collected

Instead of exploring for gas, Bangladesh had taken the easy way out by importing gas, said experts at a discussion at the capital yesterday.

Bangladesh is not running out of gas, it has not explored even a fraction of the possible locations, said Badrul Imam, energy expert and former professor at the Department of Geology at Dhaka University, calling Bangladesh one of the least explored countries in the world in terms of gas.

He was speaking at a seminar on the electricity and fuel crisis at the Mozaffar Ahmed Chowdhury Convention Hall of Dhaka University.

"We have only explored one-third of Bangladesh for gas and only explored 10 percent of the sea," he said.

"Whenever oil companies come to explore ... they only focus on easily accessible gas fields. We do not mine for gas that is difficult to find. We do not mine for gas in the sea," added the geologist.

"It has always been proven that gas exploration happens in three stages and that you will get a lot of gas in the first stage. Then this will stop and there will be a plateau. Bangladesh is only at this first stage," he said.

The second stage is where gas in the rocks must be explored, said Prof Imam. "Once that is exhausted, then you have to explore the deep sea, the offshore.

"When the companies could explore, when worldwide exploration was at the peak during 2015-16, we missed the train," he said.

Dr Anu Muhammad, former economics professor of Jahangirnagar University, commented that exploration has always been done to serve corporate interests instead of serving the needs of the country.

Our fuel exploration has been largely export-oriented to the provide for the needs of others, he said.

"During the 1980's, when Bangladesh discovered gas, international development banks had suggested that we export gas.

"Even coal exploration was export-oriented. Coal exploration lobbyists are now active. They say that coal exploration in Phulbari will develop the north -- but this definition of development does not take into account the loss of agricultural land, water and the internal migration it will cost," said Anu Muhammad.

Those who had suggested that gas be exported are now lobbying for coal mining, he opined.
He also criticised how energy production was governed by indemnity laws and that indemnity laws have wrecked the power plant sector.

"There is an indemnity law protecting those working at the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant project passed in 2015. There is no guarantee that there will not be an accident. Then why is there indemnity?"

BD Rahmatullah, former director general of the energy ministry's Power Cell, said the prospects of wind power were promising. No wind power developed here before due to lower wind speeds and older wind speed projections but now there exists improved turbine technology with higher hub heights and larger rotor diameters to take advantage of these lower wind speed sites, he said.

He referred to an exploratory study done in nine places across the country and said wind speeds of 5.75m to 7.75m per second could produce a total of 34,000MW power. The cost, he said, would be about Tk 9.82/kwh.

"The most megawatt [capacity] installed in any technology should be wind. Not liquid fuel, not coal, not nuclear," he said.

"Wind mill cost is continuously going down all over world. Turbine hub heights are getting higher to take advantage of stronger winds," said Rahmatullah.

Bangladesh not running out of gas, it hasn’t explored

Instead of exploring for gas, Bangladesh had taken the easy way out by importing gas, said experts at a discussion at the capital yesterday.

www.thedailystar.net

 

[Bilal9]

Bangladesh not running out of gas, it hasn’t explored​

Say experts at seminar

Staff Correspondent
Sun Nov 6, 2022 12:00 AM Last update on: Sun Nov 6, 2022 12:39 AM
Photo: Collected

Instead of exploring for gas, Bangladesh had taken the easy way out by importing gas, said experts at a discussion at the capital yesterday.

Bangladesh is not running out of gas, it has not explored even a fraction of the possible locations, said Badrul Imam, energy expert and former professor at the Department of Geology at Dhaka University, calling Bangladesh one of the least explored countries in the world in terms of gas.

He was speaking at a seminar on the electricity and fuel crisis at the Mozaffar Ahmed Chowdhury Convention Hall of Dhaka University.

"We have only explored one-third of Bangladesh for gas and only explored 10 percent of the sea," he said.

"Whenever oil companies come to explore ... they only focus on easily accessible gas fields. We do not mine for gas that is difficult to find. We do not mine for gas in the sea," added the geologist.

"It has always been proven that gas exploration happens in three stages and that you will get a lot of gas in the first stage. Then this will stop and there will be a plateau. Bangladesh is only at this first stage," he said.

The second stage is where gas in the rocks must be explored, said Prof Imam. "Once that is exhausted, then you have to explore the deep sea, the offshore.

"When the companies could explore, when worldwide exploration was at the peak during 2015-16, we missed the train," he said.

Dr Anu Muhammad, former economics professor of Jahangirnagar University, commented that exploration has always been done to serve corporate interests instead of serving the needs of the country.

Our fuel exploration has been largely export-oriented to the provide for the needs of others, he said.

"During the 1980's, when Bangladesh discovered gas, international development banks had suggested that we export gas.

"Even coal exploration was export-oriented. Coal exploration lobbyists are now active. They say that coal exploration in Phulbari will develop the north -- but this definition of development does not take into account the loss of agricultural land, water and the internal migration it will cost," said Anu Muhammad.

Those who had suggested that gas be exported are now lobbying for coal mining, he opined.
He also criticised how energy production was governed by indemnity laws and that indemnity laws have wrecked the power plant sector.

"There is an indemnity law protecting those working at the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant project passed in 2015. There is no guarantee that there will not be an accident. Then why is there indemnity?"

BD Rahmatullah, former director general of the energy ministry's Power Cell, said the prospects of wind power were promising. No wind power developed here before due to lower wind speeds and older wind speed projections but now there exists improved turbine technology with higher hub heights and larger rotor diameters to take advantage of these lower wind speed sites, he said.

He referred to an exploratory study done in nine places across the country and said wind speeds of 5.75m to 7.75m per second could produce a total of 34,000MW power. The cost, he said, would be about Tk 9.82/kwh.

"The most megawatt [capacity] installed in any technology should be wind. Not liquid fuel, not coal, not nuclear," he said.

"Wind mill cost is continuously going down all over world. Turbine hub heights are getting higher to take advantage of stronger winds," said Rahmatullah.

Bangladesh not running out of gas, it hasn’t explored

Instead of exploring for gas, Bangladesh had taken the easy way out by importing gas, said experts at a discussion at the capital yesterday.

www.thedailystar.net

All to help Summit Group - importers of LNG from Qatar, Hasina's favorite chamchas and contributors to her election coffers.

 

[damiendehorn2]

Bangladesh not running out of gas, it hasn’t explored​

Say experts at seminar

Staff Correspondent
Sun Nov 6, 2022 12:00 AM Last update on: Sun Nov 6, 2022 12:39 AM
Photo: Collected

Instead of exploring for gas, Bangladesh had taken the easy way out by importing gas, said experts at a discussion at the capital yesterday.

Bangladesh is not running out of gas, it has not explored even a fraction of the possible locations, said Badrul Imam, energy expert and former professor at the Department of Geology at Dhaka University, calling Bangladesh one of the least explored countries in the world in terms of gas.

He was speaking at a seminar on the electricity and fuel crisis at the Mozaffar Ahmed Chowdhury Convention Hall of Dhaka University.

"We have only explored one-third of Bangladesh for gas and only explored 10 percent of the sea," he said.

"Whenever oil companies come to explore ... they only focus on easily accessible gas fields. We do not mine for gas that is difficult to find. We do not mine for gas in the sea," added the geologist.

"It has always been proven that gas exploration happens in three stages and that you will get a lot of gas in the first stage. Then this will stop and there will be a plateau. Bangladesh is only at this first stage," he said.

The second stage is where gas in the rocks must be explored, said Prof Imam. "Once that is exhausted, then you have to explore the deep sea, the offshore.

"When the companies could explore, when worldwide exploration was at the peak during 2015-16, we missed the train," he said.

Dr Anu Muhammad, former economics professor of Jahangirnagar University, commented that exploration has always been done to serve corporate interests instead of serving the needs of the country.

Our fuel exploration has been largely export-oriented to the provide for the needs of others, he said.

"During the 1980's, when Bangladesh discovered gas, international development banks had suggested that we export gas.

"Even coal exploration was export-oriented. Coal exploration lobbyists are now active. They say that coal exploration in Phulbari will develop the north -- but this definition of development does not take into account the loss of agricultural land, water and the internal migration it will cost," said Anu Muhammad.

Those who had suggested that gas be exported are now lobbying for coal mining, he opined.
He also criticised how energy production was governed by indemnity laws and that indemnity laws have wrecked the power plant sector.

"There is an indemnity law protecting those working at the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant project passed in 2015. There is no guarantee that there will not be an accident. Then why is there indemnity?"

BD Rahmatullah, former director general of the energy ministry's Power Cell, said the prospects of wind power were promising. No wind power developed here before due to lower wind speeds and older wind speed projections but now there exists improved turbine technology with higher hub heights and larger rotor diameters to take advantage of these lower wind speed sites, he said.

He referred to an exploratory study done in nine places across the country and said wind speeds of 5.75m to 7.75m per second could produce a total of 34,000MW power. The cost, he said, would be about Tk 9.82/kwh.

"The most megawatt [capacity] installed in any technology should be wind. Not liquid fuel, not coal, not nuclear," he said.

"Wind mill cost is continuously going down all over world. Turbine hub heights are getting higher to take advantage of stronger winds," said Rahmatullah.

Bangladesh not running out of gas, it hasn’t explored

Instead of exploring for gas, Bangladesh had taken the easy way out by importing gas, said experts at a discussion at the capital yesterday.

www.thedailystar.net

Foreign companies will only explore for gas reserves if they think that Bangladesh will allow exports of gas to india. At the end of the day, they want to make quick returns.

 

[BananaRepublicUK]

Foreign companies will only explore for gas reserves if they think that Bangladesh will allow exports of gas to india. At the end of the day, they want to make quick returns.

Cost of extraction is the issue. Makes them unviable. If extraction could be done by our “illustrious BUET engineers” - it could be worthwhile. But BUET guys are too much hot air.

Small nuclear plants are the future. Britain’s rolls Royce are the pioneers.

 

[Bilal9]

Foreign companies will only explore for gas reserves if they think that Bangladesh will allow exports of gas to india. At the end of the day, they want to make quick returns.

I remember India asking for gas some five or seven years ago. We turned them down. We can also explore gas on our own.

The problem is - the local chaos and "Jor jaar Mulluk tar" low-life lathial culture of politics drives talented people away from our shores. Then we have people from across the border fanning the friggin' chaos and goading on the uncultured uneducated ba$tards getting to the top. It is a kleptocracy of goondas, goom khoon and uneducated cadres. We grow talent but cannot keep them.

Bangladesh is literally floating on gas reserves. I have geologist buddies and we talk about this all the time.

Hasina and her business buddies (Summit group and others) created this artificial crisis so they could gain hundreds of millions from importing Middle East LNG and creating this Bottled LPG gas infra instead of running Gas pipelines. Bangladesh can easily run gas transmission lines unlike India where the distances are large and non-feasible.

 

[Indos]

I remember India asking for gas some five or seven years ago. We turned them down. We can also explore gas on our own.

The problem is - the local chaos and "Jor jaar Mulluk tar" low-life lathial culture of politics drives talented people away from our shores. Then we have people from across the border fanning the friggin' chaos and goading on the uncultured uneducated ba$tards get to the top. It is a kleptocracy of goondas, goom khoon and uneducated cadres. We grow talent but cannot keep them.

Bangladesh is literally floating on gas reserves. I have geologist buddies and we talk about this all the time.

Hasina and her business buddies (Summit group and others) created this artificial crisis so they could gain hundreds of millions from importing Middle East LNG and creating this Bottled LPG gas infra instead of running Gas pipelines. Bangladesh can easily run gas transmission lines unlike India where the distances are large and non-feasible.

Getting LNG from Middle East is very inefficient for BD, better buy from Indonesia and Malaysia, but BD needs to sign long term LNG contract before even the gas project on stream, or BD has only one option left, getting it from spot market.

Indonesia found huge gas reserves near BD in Andaman sea near Aceh province. There BD government can struct long term natural gas contract and there should be pipe line between Andaman sea into BD which is not too far.

India state oil and gas firm is now hunting on their own Andaman sea territory but still until now there is no report that their side of Andaman Sea has huge Gas reserve as like as Indonesian side

I remember India asking for gas some five or seven years ago. We turned them down. We can also explore gas on our own.

The problem is - the local chaos and "Jor jaar Mulluk tar" low-life lathial culture of politics drives talented people away from our shores. Then we have people from across the border fanning the friggin' chaos and goading on the uncultured uneducated ba$tards get to the top. It is a kleptocracy of goondas, goom khoon and uneducated cadres. We grow talent but cannot keep them.

Bangladesh is literally floating on gas reserves. I have geologist buddies and we talk about this all the time.

Hasina and her business buddies (Summit group and others) created this artificial crisis so they could gain hundreds of millions from importing Middle East LNG and creating this Bottled LPG gas infra instead of running Gas pipelines. Bangladesh can easily run gas transmission lines unlike India where the distances are large and non-feasible.

BD should invite Indonesian Pertamina or our biggest private own oil and gas company, Medco Energy, on those potential gas reserve

 

[nahtanbob]

I remember India asking for gas some five or seven years ago. We turned them down. We can also explore gas on our own.

The problem is - the local chaos and "Jor jaar Mulluk tar" low-life lathial culture of politics drives talented people away from our shores. Then we have people from across the border fanning the friggin' chaos and goading on the uncultured uneducated ba$tards getting to the top. It is a kleptocracy of goondas, goom khoon and uneducated cadres. We grow talent but cannot keep them.

Bangladesh is literally floating on gas reserves. I have geologist buddies and we talk about this all the time.

Hasina and her business buddies (Summit group and others) created this artificial crisis so they could gain hundreds of millions from importing Middle East LNG and creating this Bottled LPG gas infra instead of running Gas pipelines. Bangladesh can easily run gas transmission lines unlike India where the distances are large and non-feasible.

If natural gas was available and extractable you would be doing it. There is way too money to be made.

FYI I hear the same stories about 175 billion tons of coal reserves in Pakistan

Pakistan mulls uses of Thar coal | The Express Tribune

Huge deposits can be consumed for power production, fertiliser manufacturing

tribune.com.pk

 

[BananaRepublicUK]

If natural gas was available and extractable you would be doing it. There is way too money to be made.

FYI I hear the same stories about 175 billion tons of coal reserves in Pakistan

Pakistan mulls uses of Thar coal | The Express Tribune

Huge deposits can be consumed for power production, fertiliser manufacturing

tribune.com.pk

It is there. But it is thinly spread.

Making extraction unviable even at current prices.

 

[Bilal9]

If natural gas was available and extractable you would be doing it. There is way too money to be made.

FYI I hear the same stories about 175 billion tons of coal reserves in Pakistan

Pakistan mulls uses of Thar coal | The Express Tribune

Huge deposits can be consumed for power production, fertiliser manufacturing

tribune.com.pk

Nathuram-ji - please stop worrying about Bangladesh and worry about India instead.

 

[nahtanbob]

It is there. But it is thinly spread.

Making extraction unviable even at current prices.

What is the point of talking about something that cannot be extracted ?

 

[BananaRepublicUK]

What is the point of talking about something that cannot be extracted ?

It can be extracted just not financially viable unless the work can be done by a BD company.

Which, there aren’t any at the moment.

 

[nahtanbob]

It can be extracted just not financially viable unless the work can be done by a BD company.

Which, there aren’t any at the moment.

I doubt the financially viability is based on that

 

[mb444]

I remember India asking for gas some five or seven years ago. We turned them down. We can also explore gas on our own.

The problem is - the local chaos and "Jor jaar Mulluk tar" low-life lathial culture of politics drives talented people away from our shores. Then we have people from across the border fanning the friggin' chaos and goading on the uncultured uneducated ba$tards getting to the top. It is a kleptocracy of goondas, goom khoon and uneducated cadres. We grow talent but cannot keep them.

Bangladesh is literally floating on gas reserves. I have geologist buddies and we talk about this all the time.

Hasina and her business buddies (Summit group and others) created this artificial crisis so they could gain hundreds of millions from importing Middle East LNG and creating this Bottled LPG gas infra instead of running Gas pipelines. Bangladesh can easily run gas transmission lines unlike India where the distances are large and non-feasible.

More than that dude, where there is gas underneath there is oil in most cases.

Perhaps it made no sense to explore as international oil companies normally take 80% of any finds because the cost of exploration and extraction cost is so much. Many exploration projects fails before a viable area is identified not because gas is not there but because of geological reasons.

BD needs to take the plunge, invest sizeable sum to the tune of $5-10b in exploration and once fields are identified bring in oil companies to get an equitable share.

It is a case of either we take the risk and benefit fully or we dont take any risk and get a small share of the benefit.

In UK the govt allows 83% tax deduction for oil companies to explore new sources. Once found they offer further 17% tax deduction so 100% of the cost of exploration is bourne by the government.

After that once production commences profits are taxed at 65%.

BD can follow the exact same model. But it wont happen until BD takes up the risk and cost of exploration.

 

[CrazyZ]

If natural gas was available and extractable you would be doing it. There is way too money to be made.

FYI I hear the same stories about 175 billion tons of coal reserves in Pakistan

Pakistan mulls uses of Thar coal | The Express Tribune

Huge deposits can be consumed for power production, fertiliser manufacturing

tribune.com.pk

Pakistan went from almost no coal production to 10 million tons last year. This will double to 20 million tons within a year or two. I expect doubling of lignite production in Pakistan every few years. Pakistan will be one of the top 10 global lignite coal producers in 25 years, IMO. Thar coal is one of the main reasons why Pakistan's current CAD is the lowest in S. Asia.

 

[nahtanbob]

Pakistan went from almost no coal production to 10 million tons last year. This will double to 20 million tons within a year or two. I expect doubling of lignite production in Pakistan every few years. Pakistan will be one of the top 10 global lignite coal producers in 25 years, IMO. Thar coal is one of the main reasons why Pakistan's current CAD is the lowest in S. Asia.

Pakistan coal production went from 3 million tons to 9 million tons

Compare to China and India

List of countries by coal production - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org