Bangladesh, June 22 -- The country's gas demand will almost double to around 1.45 trillion cubic feet (Tcf) in next four years, compared to current consumption of around 730 billion cubic feet (Bcf) in the outgoing FY 2011-12, energy ministry projected.
The increased quantity of gas will be required to feed mounting needs in industries, power plants, fertilizer factories, households and CNG filling stations, it pointed out.
The country could supply 13.72 per cent less gas than the demand in the outgoing FY 2011-12 against the requirement of 962 Bcf, said a senior energy ministry official spelling out the projection.
The Ministry of Power, Energy and Mineral Resources has projected that natural gas requirements in gas guzzling power plants will be the maximum at 443.7 Bcf in 2015-16, compared to 324.5 Bcf in the outgoing FY 2011-12.
The gas demand in power plants will be 350.5 Bcf in FY 2012-13, 378.5 Bcf in FY 2013-14, and 415.8 Bcf in 2014-15, the official said.
Country's growing industrial sector will require 301 Bcf of gas during 2015-16, which was 184.8 Bcf in the outgoing FY 2011-12.
The industrial sector will require 214.4 Bcf of natural gas in FY 2012-13, 246.5 Bcf in FY 2013-14, and 271.1 Bcf in 2014-15 to accommodate new industries to operate.
Captive power plants, which are owned by private sector industrial owners to meet self-requirement in industries, would require around 264.5 Bcf of gas during FY 2015-16 compared to 164 Bcf in the outgoing FY 2011-12, said the official.
Natural gas demand in captive power plants will be 188.6 Bcf in FY 2012-13, 216.9 Bcf in FY 2013-14, and 238.6 Bcf in 2014-15.
Requirement of natural gas in households for cooking will be around 167.8 Bcf in FY 2015-16 compared to 11.4 Bcf in the outgoing FY 2011-12.
Households would require 124.8 Bcf of gas in FY 2012-13, 139.8 Bcf in FY 2013-14, and 153.8 Bcf in 2014-15, the official added.
Natural gas consumption in CNG filling station will triple to 152.5 Bcf in FY 2015-16 compared to 51.4 Bcf in the outgoing FY 2011-12, the energy ministry official said.
CNG filling stations will require around 56.5 Bcf of gas in FY 2012-13, 113 Bcf in FY 2013-14, and 124 Bcf in 2014-15.
The energy ministry has forecasted that requirement in fertiliser factories and tea garden would remain same at 94 Bcf and 1.0 Bcf respectively in FY 2015-16 compared to 94 Bcf and 1.0 Bcf respectively in the outgoing FY 2011-12.
Natural gas requirement in commercial sector will, however, decline to 8.9 Bcf in FY 2015-16 compared to 10.8 Bcf in the outgoing FY 2011-12.
State-owned Petrobangla Chairman Hussain Monsur expressed his hope that the natural gas supply from state-owned and IOC-operated gas fields would be augmented to meet the mounting demands.
He said steps have been taken to supply around 195 million cubic feet per day (mmcfd) of gas to national grid by drilling 10 development and work over wells in state-run gas fields by next year.
The fields include Semutang, Fenchuganj, Salda, Shahbazpur, Titas and Bakhrabad, Monsur said.
Around 135 mmcfd will be added by developing wells in state-owned Titas and Rakhrabad gas fields.
Besides, International Oil Companies (IOCs) operating in Bangladesh have been asked to ramp up production from their fields, he added.
US oil giant Chevron and Australian Santos have been asked to increase production.
"We have accommodated Santos's third party gas sales to increase gas output from the country's lone offshore Sangu gas field," he said.
Russian Gazprom has been assigned to drill 10 wells as contractor to augment supply, he added. Published by HT Syndication with permission from The Financial Express. For any query with respect to this article or any other content requirement, please contact Editor at htsyndication@hindustantimes.com
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