PM urges Gazprom: Conduct more seismic surveys in BD

UNB, Dhaka :
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Thursday urged the Russian state-run company Gazprom to conduct more seismic surveys in Bangladesh for more gas exploration.
Hasina made the request when a delegation of Gazprom International, led by its CEO Valeriy Gulev, met her at her official residence Ganobhaban in the morning.
Briefing reporters after the meeting, PM’s Press Secretary AKM Shamim Chowdhury said Gazprom has proposed to work with Bangladesh state-run Bapex for gas exploration in the country’s plain lands, hill tracts and offshore areas.
The Gazprom CEO apprised the Prime Minister that Gazprom has been assisting Bapex in developing 10 gas fields in the country as well as has managed to increase 20 percent gas production in Bangladesh.
Besides, two more gas fields in the country would be developed by Gazprom along with Bapex.
Valeriy told Hasina that he would request his government to give more scholarships to Bangladesh students in Russia on higher education on gas sector and medical science.
The Gazprom high official also proposed for gas exploration in joint venture with Bapex in the 3rd country outside Bangladesh like Myanmar.
Congratulating the Prime Minister on her assumption of office for the second consecutive term, the Gazprom CEO also highly lauded the able leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina for carrying out massive development in the country.
Welcoming the joint-venture proposal of Gazprom with Bapex for the exploration of gas in the country, the Prime Minister said such joint-venture initiative could take place.
In this connection, she said although there may be some resource or financial constraints for Bapex, but it has adequate manpower and could work in this sector.
Hasina, however, suggested that the joint-venture proposal for the exploration of gas in the third country could be considered not now, but later on.
The Prime Minister also appreciated the Gazprom CEO’s interest in requesting his government to allow more scholarships to Bangladeshi students in the education sector.
Recalling the contributions of Russia during the war of liberation in 1971, Hasina said Russia is a time-tested friend of Bangladesh as they had assisted the country to reconstruct the war-ravaged economy and a number of their men laid down their lives during the liberation struggle.
State Minister for Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Nasrul Hamid, PMO Senior Secretary Abul Kamal Azad, Bangladesh Ambassador to Russia Dr SM Saiful Haque, Russian Ambassador to Bangladesh Alexander A Nikolaev and Petrobangla chairman Dr Hossain Mansur were present.
Gazprom is a global energy company. Its major business lines are geological exploration, production, transportation, storage, processing and sales of gas, gas condensate and oil, sales of gas as a vehicle fuel as well as generation and marketing of heat and electric power.
Gazprom holds the world’s largest natural gas reserves. The company’s share in the global and Russian gas reserves makes up 18 and 72 per cent respectively. Gazprom accounts for 14 and 74 percent of the global and Russian gas output accordingly. At present, the company actively implements large-scale projects aimed at exploiting gas resources of the Yamal Peninsula, Arctic Shelf, Eastern Siberia and the Far East, as well as hydrocarbons exploration and production projects abroad.