Against the backdrop of the country's fast declining gas reserve, the energy division has initiated a move to introduce liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) within the next two or three years by phasing out the existing piped natural gas for household consumption.
According to Energy Division officials, the gas reserve, which now stands at 14 trillion cubic feet (tcf), will start to decline from 2017 if no new discovery is made. "The natural gas will completely get exhausted by 2031 if no substantial reserve is discovered", said a top energy division official.
Under the circumstances, he said, LPG is considered as the most suitable alternative to natural gas for household purpose as 2.8 million household consumers are now using 330 mmcfd gas --13.06 per cent of the total gas production.
According to power and energy ministry documents, the country's total gas reserve (proven plus probable) is 27.12 trillion cubic feet (tcf). Of this, 13.032 tcf gas has been extracted until June 2015, with 14.088 tcf remaining.
The gas production marked a rise by 986 mmcfd to 2,730 mmcfd in 2015 from 1744 mmcfd in 2009, an average annual increase by 164.33 mmcfd in the last six years.
Energy ministry officials said the gas sector did not see any new discovery in the last 7-8 years although the state-owned Petrobangla made announcement on several occasions of new gas reserve. But when they went for drilling, no gas was found there as announced.
Prothom Alo
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