Oil discovered in Sylhet gas field: Nasrul Hamid

The government has declared the discovery of an oil reserve at well no-10 of the Sylhet gas field.

An oil flow of 35 barrels (159 liters) per hour has been found at the initial stage, while the authorities are expecting to learn the actual size of oil stock by next four to five months, said state minister for power, energy and mineral resources Nasrul Hamid.

At an emergency press briefing at the secretariat on Sunday, the minister also said the authorities started drilling the well two months ago and found oil flow in the first layer and gas in the three following layers.

Some 70 barrels of oil were collected from the well in two hours on the first day before suspension of the extraction works, he said, emphasising proper study before further extraction.

He, however, expressed optimism that the country may benefit from the oil reserve in the next two decades. The extracted oil has already been sent to the laboratory for necessary tests.

At the well, the oil flow was discovered at a depth ranging from 1,397 to 1,445 meters on 8 December, with an API gravity of 29.7 degrees.

Drilling up to 2,576 meters, the authorities found gas in four layers. An impressive gas flow of 25 million cubic feet and a flowing pressure of 3,250 psi was found at the lowest layer from 2,540 meters to 2,550 meters. Here, the gas reserve is estimated from 43 to 100 billion cubic feet.

Another gas layer was identified from 2,460 to 2,475 meters, with an expected gas reserve of around 30 million cubic feet. Besides, the layer from 2,290 to 2,310 meters showed a significant gas flow.

It was revealed in the press briefing that a simultaneous production at depths of 2,540 and 2,460 meters can potentially sustain output for 8 to 10 years, valued around Tk 85 billion.

The gas field, if produced at a rate of 20 million cubic feet per day, is expected to supply gas for over 15 years.