As part of its efforts to meet the country’s growing energy demand, Petrobangla is working to supply 143 million cubic feet per day (mmcfd) of gas through the exploration and workover of 11 wells in different gas fields.

“Upon the successful completion of drilling and workover operations of 11 wells simultaneously, about 143 mmcfd of gas is expected to be supplied to the national pipeline,” Petrobangla Spokesperson Tariqul Islam Khan told BSS today.

Khan, who is also Deputy General Manager (Public Relations) of Petrobangla, said that Bangladesh Petroleum Exploration and Production Company Limited (BAPEX) has been carrying out drilling and workover activities as part of its exploration programme.

Drilling and workover operations are underway at 11 wells, including Sylhet-10, Sylhet-11, Rashidpur-11, Srikail-5, Habiganj-5, Kailashtila-1, Beanibazar-2 and Semutang-6, he said.

Besides, the government recently approved a proposal involving Tk 907.29 crore to drill five gas wells in Bhola to boost domestic gas production, reduce dependence on imported fuel and strengthen national energy security.

According to the proposal, Shahbazpur-5, Shahbazpur-7, Bhola North-3, Bhola North-4 and Shahbazpur North East-1 will be drilled in the southern district.

Meanwhile, Petrobangla has intensified several exploration programmes, including a plan to drill and workover 50 wells by 2025–26 to produce 400–500 mmcfd of gas, and another 100 wells during 2026–28, Petrobangla Director Engineer Rafiqul Islam recently said.

BAPEX has discovered commercial gas in Block-8 through the drilling of the Jamalpur-1 exploration well, marking the first such discovery in the block.

Petrobangla sources said BAPEX also plans to drill two more wells—one exploration well and one development well—to assess the reservoir and its extension in the Jamalpur structure, while the detailed project proposal (DPP) is being prepared.

Apart from this, the presence of crude oil was detected in the Haripur structure during the drilling of the Sylhet-10 well under the Haripur Gas Field. A programme to drill the Sylhet-12 oil well has been undertaken to evaluate the commercial viability of the oil reservoir.

In addition, BAPEX will drill 19 more wells in Bhola to evaluate discovered gas reserves and the aerial extension of reservoir zones in the island’s gas fields.

The gas extracted from Bhola Island will be supplied to the proposed industrial hub in Bhola, which is expected to play a pivotal role in economic development by creating employment opportunities in the southern region of Bangladesh.

Furthermore, BAPEX is drilling four deep wells—two in the Titas and Bakhrabad fields under BGFCL, and two in the Srikail field and Mobarakpur structure.

At the same time, seismic data acquisition, processing and interpretation are being carried out by BAPEX, BGFCL and SGFL in their respective blocks to identify new prospects and drillable well locations.

Drilling of the Titas-31 deep exploration well under BGFCL is expected to begin next January.

The government has prioritised increasing domestic gas production by focusing on drilling and workover of existing wells to reduce reliance on costly LNG imports.

“We have intensified our efforts to drill more wells and undertake workover activities to enhance gas production from domestic sources,” Petrobangla Chairman Engineer Md Rezanur Rahman said at a programme.

He said the government plans to drill 100 wells and conduct workover operations on 31 wells to increase gas supply to the national grid.

BAPEX is also set to sign contracts with third-party contractors through an open tender process to drill five wells in the Bhola region.