All gas connections in the country will be brought under a prepaid meter system within the next 4 years, State Minister for Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Nasrul Hamid said on Saturday (17 February).
“The implementation of gas meters has many benefits including a reduction in wastage. We want to complete the implementation of prepaid meters as soon as possible. I have been pressuring the companies for a long time. Now many want to finance including the World Bank and ADB,” he said after visiting the head office of Jalalabad Gas Transmission and Distribution System Limited on Saturday (17 February).
“I am happy with the service of Jalalabad Gas Transmission and Distribution System Limited. They have no system loss, and no illegal connections. I saw the data centre, it is great,” he added.
He also inaugurated the Bangabandhu Corner and prepaid meter project data centre at the company’s head office.
The state minister is in Sylhet region on a three-day visit. During the visit, the state minister is scheduled to visit some gas fields and process plants, inaugurate model petrol pumps, and inaugurate gas supply pipelines.
Jalalabad Gas Transmission and Distribution System Limited has a total of 2,21,145 customers. Among them, 2,19,345 are residential connections.
Already 50,000 customers have been given prepaid meters. A project has been taken up to bring another 50,000 connections under a meter system.
Earlier in the day, the state minister went for an inspection of the gas well in Kailashtila.
“We are optimistic that 1.6 trillion cubic feet (Tcf) of gas will be found in the Kailashtila gas field. It can be confirmed if the excavation is completed within the next four months,” he said during his visit.
“Kailashtila field had 3Tcf reserves earlier. Reserves will increase as exploration wells are drilled. If we get gas from the domestic fields, it is available at Tk4, while importing the same amount of gas costs Tk60. If only 23% of the gas was not imported, there would have been a lot of savings,” Nasrul Hamid said.
Sylhet Gas Field Company Managing Director Mizanur Rahman said a total of seven wells have been dug in Kailashtila before and gas has been found in each well.
“3500 metres will be drilled and expected to yield over 1Tcf of gas,” he added.
The excavation work of the Kailashtila-8 well started on 11 January this year. The work is to be completed within 120 days.
State-owned Bapex is carrying out the drilling operations in this well of the Sylhet Gas Field Company.
An exiting pipeline is just one and a half kilometres away and an operable process plant is at a distance of two and a half kilometres from the well.
Many areas including Bhola, and Jokiganj have surplus gas but it cannot be used due to the lack of pipeline.
At that time, local MP and former education minister Nurul Islam Nahid and Sylhet Gas Field Company senior officials, Bapex were present.