Gazprom wants too much for drilling gas-wells: energy officials

Gazprom, the Russian state-run gas extraction company, in its financial proposal to Petrobangla has demanded much higher charges than the usual for drilling 10 gas-wells, and supplying and setting up two gas compressors.

Five of the 10 gas-wells were under the 'fast-track' gas production programme, which was scrapped when the Polish contractor refused to do the job after being awarded the contract.

Petrobangla, the state-run oil, gas and mineral resources corporation, early this year offered Gazprom the contract to drill 10 gas-wells and supply and set up two compressors, and received a financial proposal on Tuesday.

A Petrobangla official said that Gazprom demanded about $1.97 crore or Tk 145.78 crore for drilling each of the 10 wells in different gas-fields, and $14.90 crore or Tk 1,102.6 crore for setting up each of the two gas compressors at Ashuganj in Brahmanbaria and Elenga in Tangail.

But Petrobangla offered Gazprom Tk 90 crore for the drilling of a gas-well, since Bapex can do the same job for Tk 70 crore.

A Bapex official said that they would spend a maximum sum of Tk 50 crore for drilling an exploration well at Sundulpur gas-field in Noakhali.

He said that Gazprom's offer has puzzled officials of the energy sector and created doubts over the plan to increase gas supply on an emergency basis.

Petrobangla's chairman Hossain Monsur, however, refused to make any comment in this regard.

But another Petrobangla official said that they would negotiate with Gazprom after the Eid-ul-Fitr vacation is over.

Due to the severe gas shortage, the government adopted a 'fast-track' gas exploration and production programme aimed at conducting a 3,100 line kilometre two-dimensional seismic survey and drilling six wells by the end of 2012, which is now very unlikely to be completed on time, said a senior Petrobangla official.

Petrobangla approved the plan in August 2009.

Problems started in February when the Polish company, Poszukiwania Naftyi i Gazu Krakow (Oil and Gas Exploration Company Cracow), told Petrobangla that it would not drill six wells in the Titas and Rashidpur gas-fields because the fields were leaking gas.

Source : New Age