Eight new gas wells to be drilled

The government is to drill eight new gas wells - five in Bhola and the rest in three other districts - in a bid to ramp up domestic gas production and reduce dependence on costly imports, officials said.

This will be done under two proposed projects with a combined estimated cost of Tk 28.28 billion.

The move is expected to add 170 million standard cubic feet per day (MMCFD) of natural gas by June 2028, accounting for over 7.78 per cent of the country's current gas supply from domestic sources, according to government estimates.

The project documents revealed that Bangladesh's gas supply rose from 699 MMCFD in 1995-96 to 3,200 MMCFD in 2020-21, but rising demand has outpaced production.

In January 2025, demand was projected to be 3,800 MMCFD, while average production stood at just 1,927 MMCFD.

To bridge the gap, the country has been importing LNG since 2018.

Although the current LNG supply capacity is 1,100 MMCFD, about 841 MMCFD is being supplied, accounting for over 30 per cent of the total daily supply.

Two separate project evaluation committee (PEC) meetings, held at the Planning Commission last week to review proposals from the Energy and Mineral Resources Division (EMRD), recommended placing the gas well drilling projects before the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC), subject to fulfilling certain conditions.

Ruhul Amin, member (secretary) of the Industry and Energy Division of the Planning Commission, chaired the meetings and reviewed the proposals.

He underscored the need to ensure that prioritising the proposed projects does not disrupt the implementation of the other ongoing initiatives.

It was also recommended that the type and specifications of the proposed connecting road, along with its dimensions and quantity, be clearly outlined.

Mr Amin asked for a detailed cost breakdown, including the basis of estimation, saying this should be incorporated into the development project proposal (DPP) for a thorough assessment.

One of the meetings noted that Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation, a company under Bangladesh Petroleum Exploration and Production Company Limited (BAPEX), would implement one of the proposed projects involving four appraisal-cum-development wells and one exploration well between July 2025 and June 2028.

During the discussion, the BAPEX general manager stated that if commercially viable gas is discovered, the five wells could collectively produce up to 100 MMCFD of gas.

However, the deputy chief of the Planning Commission raised concerns about BAPEX's simultaneous engagement in multiple ongoing projects affecting the implementation of the proposed initiative.

The primary objective of the other project is to increase domestic gas production by confirming the presence of recoverable gas reserves through drilling, testing, and completion of three deep exploration wells, according to the project documents.

These include the Shreekail Deep-1 well at a depth of 6,000 metres in the Shreekail formation, the Mobarakpur Deep-1 well at 6,000 metres in the Mobarakpur formation, and the Fenchuganj South-1 well at a depth of 4,000 metres in the Fenchuganj formation.

The initiative is designed to tap into deeper hydrocarbon layers, thereby enhancing the country's energy security and reducing reliance on costly liquefied natural gas (LNG) imports.

The key components of the project include drilling, testing, and completion services for three exploration wells - Shreekail Deep-1, Mobarakpur Deep-1, and Fenchuganj South-1 - along with the construction of rig foundations and associated mobilisation and demobilisation activities.

In addition, consultancy services will be engaged specifically during the drilling of the Shreekail Deep-1 and Mobarakpur Deep-1 wells to ensure technical support and oversight.

Following the drilling of the three proposed wells at Shreekail, Fenchuganj, and Mobarakpur, an estimated 1,696.36 billion cubic feet (BCF) of gas may be discovered, of which 1,018.14 BCF is expected to be recoverable.

Based on the current LNG prices, the value of this recoverable reserve is estimated at Tk 1.40 trillion, according to the proposal.

jahid.rn@gmail.com