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State Minister for Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Nasrul Hamid today (Saturday) said testing is underway to extract oil from Sylhet gas well-10, as the government is optimistic about commercial production of oil from the wells.
“We will get the results of the oil testing within two months. The pressure inside and at the entrance of the oil mine is very good. We are optimistic because oil is being obtained at such a pressure,” he said while visiting the Sylhet gas field well-10 area at Jaintapur in Sylhet.
Considering the high gas pressure, the energy and mineral resources division will dig two more wells, which will also increase the production capacity of gas, Nasrul Hamid said.
Earlier, he visited Kailashtila-8 excavation project, Jalalabad Gas Transmission and Distribution System Limited (JGTDSL) head offices, and inaugurated the data centre and data recovery centre of the prepaid metre project and Bangabandhu Corner.
The state minister is staying in the Sylhet region on a three-day official visit to inspect some gas fields and projects and inaugurate a model petrol pump and gas supply in the pipelines.
He said, “We have supplied electricity to the island (Char) through submarine cable.
Now the momentum has been transmitted to the rural economy. Fuel must be ensured to keep the economy boosting. Sylhet Gas Field Company is doing well, and they deserve an award for that.”
Managing Director of Sylhet Gas Field Company Mizanur Rahman said, “The Well No. 10 in Sylhet is very lucky, as gas pressure of 6000 pounds per square inch (PSI) was found here. During the testing, the pressure was found to be 3200 PSI.
Many wells experience pressure drops during the withdrawal, but Sylhet-10 is an exception.”
The presence of oil was known during the testing on the 10th well of the Sylhet gas field on December 8. Three gas layers, as well as oil, have been confirmed in the well.
The oil location was identified at 1397–1445 m depth, and 70 barrels of oil were lifted in two hours on the first day, he added.
Once testing is completed, the oil reserve can be confirmed. Reserve is initially estimated at 8 to 10 million barrels, but BAPEX estimates say 15 to 18 million.
“The extracted oil has been sent to three labs, including BUET, Eastern Refinery, for testing. Once the results are available, more details will be available. 500 to 600 barrels of oil per day are expected.
Testing is going on, and it will take another four to five months to be fully confirmed,” the managing director said.
The state minister said that the gas reserve can be 43.6 to 106 billion cubic feet, with an average value of Tk 85 billion.
Sylhet Gas Field Company is currently producing 115.2 million cubic feet of gas per day.
Several projects, including Kailashtila 8, Sylhet 10 and Sylhet-10X, and Sylhet-11, are underway.
The company expects to be able to extract 250 to 280 million cubic feet of gas per day if the ongoing operations are completed by 2025.