Afghan Biographies

Hameed, Abdul Eng.


Name Hameed, Abdul Eng.
Ethnic backgr.
Date of birth
Function/Grade Afghan Gas Enterprise Head AGE
History and Biodata

2. Previous Functions:
Afghan Gas Enterprise acting Head (20101108)
Afghan Gas Enterprise Head (20120115)

Background:
Afghan Gas Enterprises [ AGE] and Hydrocarbon Unit. All gas exploration works, discovery of gas fields, setting up of gas treatment and transportation facilities were constructed by the Former Soviet Unit [FSU] in the Sheberghan area. Even the major user of the gas Northern Fertilizer and Power Plant [NFPP] (aka Kod-e-Barq) was constructed by FSU.

After the Russians left loosing battles to Mujahedins these facilities were run in not too efficient manners. It appeared from field visits that most of the producing gas wells have reached almost the last stage of their economic production life. There has been no depletion strategy of these gas wells – no plan for secondary or tertiary recovery. Well head pressures have depleted to 7-10 atm. There are no facilities for knocking down of free liquids beside well head. Many wells have pressure at annulus from obvious leakage through poor cementation. Gas gathering and supply pipelines do not have operating Cathodic Protection system or on-stream pigging facilities. There are two gas treatment plants – One Gas sweetening plant at Gerquduq and another Glycol Dehydration plant at Khoja Gogerduq Gas Field. But as the gas production operation now for while failed to meet the designed parameters of the plants as far as minimum inlet pressure the plants were put out of operation. Usually gas treatment plants have standard procedures of shutting down. Records do not evidence that these were done following such prescribed procedures like nitrogen purging and feeling the pressure vessels with inert gas. The gas treatment plants these days have become unsuitable for use. There are three gas gathering manifolds at Sheberghan area. The present Afghan Gas Enterprise has done appreciable refurbishment works within their humble self.

Any new initiative to augment gas production and utilization now will not only require extensive reservoir surveys, drilling of new wells and rehabilitation of existing producing and non producing wells but also will require to construct new gas treatment plants – Gas Sweetening plant, Gas gathering pipelines and gas transmission and distribution networks. But lot needs to be done yet. The entire unsafe above gas distribution system using drill pipes must be refurbished using proper pipes and constructing in safe manners. The gas transmission pipeline from Khoja Gogerduq to Mazar is leaking through innumerable places. There are several instances of illegal tapping into the line and unauthorized usage.

The gas regulating and metering facilities also need massive upgrading. These are no operating facilities for gas composition analysis and meter calibration.

The gas reservoir analysis is a dynamic activity. Regular bottom whole pressure surveys, identifications of gas water contacts of under production wells are essential for required production management. None of the producing gas fields have been properly delineated and drive mechanism have not been properly established. In this situation some consultants working for some donor agencies made educated guess relying mostly on Soviet data acquired more than two decades before. The requirement of modern 3D Seismic survey and carefully planned reservoir studies can establish the ultimate recoverable reserve professionally; provide guidance for future planned development of Afghanistan Gas resources.

Last Modified 2021-04-26
Established 2012-01-15