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USGS to train local experts to assess gas reserves

By Sharier Khan
Petrobangla is preparing a list of six or seven experts who will participate in a training organised by the United States Geological Survey (USGS) and help conduct its study on Bangladesh's gas resource.
The USGS. which has been working on assessing gas resource in Bangladesh for the last one last year, offered the training programme to have best possible local participation in the study so that It becomes acceptable to all. sources concerned said.
The study scheduled to be completed by the end of October this year is expected to help the government take vital decisions regarding future investment in gas sector and re-consider whether Bangladesh should allow pipeline export of gas.
The gas resource study would be based on all existing seismic and drilling data as well as an analysis of geological structure
of the country that scientifically indicates how much oil and gas the country might have.
The USGS sought names of geologists, geophysicists and geochemists having good records of activities in the past five to 10 years. The experts should have thorough knowledge of the geology of ’Bengal basin.' The six or seven member team, once selected, would go to Houston. US. and receive training on the USGS methodology to assess gas resources on a broad basis.
"The Energy Ministry had started the selection process quite seriously and sought names of persons who were relevant for such a study." said one source. "But ultimately, some irrelevant people were incorporated in this mission Just to make them happy. If these people are sent, it will not help the study."
Another source said that a
list with names of mid level to senior officials of Petrobangla has already been finalised and it will now be sent to the USGS headquarters. The team was earlier scheduled to leave for Houston on July 9 but it would now take some time more.
The study has become important in tiie context of recent demands of international oil companies (lOCs) working in Bangladesh to allow them access to a bigger gas market in India. Leading lOCs Including European oil giant Shell and US oil company Unocal have been arguing that Bangladesh's own gas market is not expanding fast enough to allow them to invest more in exploring oil and gas.
The demands of the lOCs were being backed by the World Bank as well as the governments of some countries including the US. They argue that pipeline export of gas to India, where demands were soaring now. would help Bangladesh earn dollars. This earning would help Bangladesh maintain a balance of payment as well as pay the IOCs in dollars, as per their contracts.
But local experts resist the idea of gas export saying that it would be suicidal They point out that the country’s proven gas reserve of 10 Trillion Cubic Feet (TCF) was too inadequate to meet its' own needs and per capita energy consumption in the country' was one of the lowest In the world Besides, if the government wanted to allow gas export, it would have to make commitments for a few TCF of gas to the buyers and reduce availability of gas in the local market to 6 or 7 TCF.
In addition, considering the fact that the country's gasbased power sector was per-forming so. poorly that if the government agrees to export gas. it would be a political blunder. The country’ should focus on exploring and enhancing its' proven gas reserve to a level where the energy sector could significantly contribute to its development, one expert noted
High level discussions and seminars where local and foreign experts met concluded that no decision on gas export could be taken on the basis of known gas reserve. It was unanimously agreed that first the country must have a credible study oh gas reserve.
The gas resource study will be followed by completion of a gas utilisation study. James Chemical Company — keeping financial expert Forrest E Cookson in the forefront — back in 1998 initiated a gas utilisation study. The study was supposed to be’ completed the same year But due to lack of credibility and basic method-ological loopholes, the study was hailed and then reinitiated, sources mentioned