Tullow gets go-ahead to carry out well-intervention

With a goal to reach the existing level of 120 mmcf gas output, Irish Tullow plans to carry out the well-intervention and work-over programmes apart from injecting water into a well at Bangora gas field. The gas output declined to 80 mmcf from 120 mmcf.
To implement the idea, Petrobangla, the state-owned oil and gas corporation, approved recently the Irish company's US$ 26 million development budget.
The company carried out the same well-intervention and work-over programmes in 2013, according to the Petrobangla. Tullow discovered the field during a three-well drilling programme in 2003 and 2004.
In 2012, the gross production from the Bangora field averaged around 100 mmcfd and 300 barrels of condensate per day.
The company's gas output once rose to 120 mmcfd in November 2009 and after that it almost halved to around 65 mmcfd in 2011.
"Now we are getting around 80 to 100 mmcf (plus- minus) from this field. We want to increase production from this field to continue gas supply to the commercial city Chittagong, However, we are set to start the job soon," a senior official at the  Energy Ministry told the Daily Observer on Monday.
Chittagong city has been running short of gas since abandoning the Sangu gas field.
"Natural gas production from the Bangora gas field has increased by nearly 20 per cent to 100 million cubic feet per day (mmcfd) through our first intervention programme. However, we don't know how long we could get gas at the same level from this field," an Energy Division official said.
According to the Petrobangla, gas reserve in this field is about 192 bcf.
Tullow began its oil and gas exploration activities in Bangladesh in 1997.
In 2013, the company in April submitted a proposal to Petrobangla to raise production at Bangora in onshore block 9 by at least 25 per cent to 125 mmcfd.
Tullow carried out the work-over programmes in the two wells-Bangora-2 and Bangora-5-to raise gas output from four producing onshore gas wells from the previous level of around 83 mmcfd, the official further said.
The Bangora field, about 150 kilometres off the capital, started production at the capacity of 70 mmcfd in May 2006.
Tullow has a production sharing contract (PSC) with Petrobangla on exploration of gas in the block 9 as an operator.
It has 30 per cent operating stake in the block with Canada's Niko Resources holding 60 per cent stake and the Bangladesh Petroleum Exploration and Production Company (Bapex) holding the remaining 10 per cent stake.
Tullow, however, sold out its Bangladesh stake including the operatorship of Bangora to Singapore's KrisEnergy for US$ 42.35 million in early April 2012 but failed to transfer it as government is contesting a case against its partner Niko Resources in Bangladesh's High Court.