Based on the seismic survey, Bangladesh is looking at the possibility of obtaining 17 to 103 TCF (trillion cubic feet) of gas-hydrate in the Bay of Bengal. For this, the Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen has emphasized on conducting more seismic surveys.
The foreign minister made the remarks at a press briefing on Wednesday (January 5), citing the survey.
About 1 TCF of gas is being extracted from different fields in the country every year. So far 28 gas fields have been discovered in Bangladesh. The proven reserves in these fields are 21.4 TCF, with potential reserves of 6 TCF. About 17 and a half TCF of gas has been extracted so far. The remaining reserves are 3 TCF and the potential reserves are considered to be 7 more TCF.
From that point of view, this possible reserve of gas-hydrate has huge potential. The frustration is that there is no precedent for gas-hydrate extraction anywhere in the world. Japan has been conducting research on lifting for about 30 years and neighboring India for 15 years, but has not yet seen success.
The Foreign Minister said that in 2018, initiatives were taken to determine the presence, location, nature and reserves of gas-hydrate in the sea and at sea level in the occupied waters of Bangladesh in the Bay of Bengal. Real Admiral(Retd.) Md. Khurshid Alam, Secretary, Maritime Affairs Unit, comprising of experienced representatives from various Ministries, Departments and Offices to analyze the data obtained from various surveys conducted earlier. A desktop study group was formed under the leadership of Khurshid Alam. To get the full idea we needed a seismic survey of the whole ocean which is very expensive and time consuming. So we decided to do this desktop study based on the seismic survey already done.
He said that the government of Bangladesh in 2007-2008 through the organization of France in the Bay of Bengal 3,500 km lines. And in 2010 with the help of a Dutch organization about 3 thousand km lines completed seismic and bahthymetric surveys. According to these surveys, there are 7,500 lines in the continent within 350 nautical miles. So far, scientific and technical data has been collected on the resources available under sea which are stored in the Maritime Affairs Unit of Bapex, Petrobangla and Ministry of External Affairs. The desktop study is conducted based on the data of all these surveys.
After the formation of the Desktop Study Group, it was completed over the last 3 years by the joint efforts of Petrobangla, Bapex and local experts, including the National Oceanography Center in Southampton, UK.
Gas hydrate or methane gas is basically a solid substance in the form of ice formed at high pressure and low temperature which exists in the form of crystals (ice) scattered inside the piles of piled sand or in the form of small lumps, sheets or lines in the bottom of mud. At the bottom of the continental margin at a depth of more than 300 m below the surface of the continent, gas hydrate is found in the form of methane or ice under water and soil pressure which is usually stable at a depth of 500 m.
According to various sources, India has already confirmed the possibility of huge gas hydrate reserves in the Bay of Bengal, especially in the Krishna-Godavari and Mahananda basins of India. The Krishna-Godavari and Mahananda basin areas accumulate about 1-2 billion tons of mixed sediment every year. India has already drilled three wells in the Krishna-Godavari and Mahananda basins and in the Andaman Islands. In the Mahananda Basin, the presence of about 15 per cent natural gas hydrates has been observed at a depth of 25 meter below 205 m below sea level.
Previously surveyed area 6500 km. the study was conducted on the basis of line boundary data. Based on preliminary observations, it can be said that there is evidence of presence of natural gas hydrates in significant areas of EEZ in Bangladesh. The presence and potential of this huge amount of gas hydrates is expected to play an important role in meeting the overall demand of Bangladesh's energy sector in the next century. However, due to unavailability of gas-hydrate extraction technology, many developed countries have not yet started gas-hydrate extraction. We hope that this technology will be available soon and we will be able to start the process of extracting gas hydrate with technology from different developed countries.
The results of our study will be forwarded to the Division of Energy and Mineral Resources for conducting a full seismic survey to determine the quantity and presence of actual reserves and to determine the environmental impact and mitigation strategies.
The Foreign Minister said that Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has been very positive about this study from the very beginning and has given all kinds of support. Undoubtedly, the results of this study are very promising for Bangladesh. We hope that Bangladesh will enter a new era in the field of energy through the rapid extraction of this gas hydrate.