Prime Minister Tarique Rahman has announced a masterplan to drill 150 new gas wells by the 2030–31 fiscal year, alongside plans to establish new deep-sea LNG terminals.

The Prime Minister unveiled this comprehensive blueprint on Wednesday (September 9) during the question-and-answer session in the national parliament in response to queries from lawmakers.

Gas Exploration and LNG Infrastructure

Drilling Target: The government aims to drill 150 new wells by 2030–31 to protect the industrial sector from sudden or temporary supply shortages.

Seismic Surveys: A total of 4,500 line-kilometers of 2D and 4,200 square kilometers of 3D seismic surveys are underway to explore domestic gas reserves.

New Terminals: To strengthen LNG infrastructure, plans are moving forward to build a new floating LNG terminal at Kutubjom, Maheshkhali, and a land-based terminal at Matarbari, expected to supply regasified LNG by 2028 and 2030 respectively. Feasibility studies are also underway for a potential emergency offshore terminal near Payra, Mongla, or the southwestern coastline.

Utilization of Bhola Gas
Responding to a question from MP Mohammad Nurul Islam, the Prime Minister noted that piping Bhola's gas to the mainland would take around seven years, prompting the government to prioritize rapid local utilization.

Plans are underway to establish large-scale industries, a major fertilizer factory, and a new 500-megawatt power plant in Bhola, which will significantly boost regional employment and economic size.

Renewable Energy Targets and Incentives
In response to MP Tajuddin Khan, the Prime Minister detailed the national strategy to reduce dependency on imported fuels by prioritizing renewable energy:

Generation Goals: The government has targeted generating at least 20% of the country’s total electricity from renewable sources by 2030, and 30% by 2040.

Solar Expansion: Plans include 5,500 MW from rooftop solar (residential, industrial, and government buildings) and 4,500 MW from large-scale land-based solar projects, supplemented by wind, waste-to-energy, hydro, and floating solar projects.

Tax Exemptions: Customs duties, regulatory duties, supplementary duties, advance tax, and advanced income tax exceeding two percent have been completely waived on key renewable equipment like solar panels, inverters, specialized batteries, and structures.

Net Metering & Pricing: Under a notification effective September 1, 2026, rooftop solar generation cost is capped at ৳8 per unit. Factoring in a 20% profit margin and an 11.25% premium, the grid feed-in tariff is set at ৳10.50 per unit.

Consumers who install rooftop systems following the Net Metering Guidelines 2025 by February 28, 2027, can sell surplus power to the grid at this fixed rate until February 28, 2030.

To anchor these initiatives, the government has rolled out several key frameworks, including the PPP Project Guidelines for State-Owned Land 2026, the Private Investment Promotion Policy 2025, and the National Renewable Energy Policy 2025.