The drilling of 32 well has been completed in the past seven months since the BNP government assumed office, adding around 148 million cubic feet (mmcfd) of gas per day to the national grid.
However, the government has set a target to drill 150 wells by 2031 to raise gas output, followed by another 150 wells during the 2031–‘35 period to further strengthen the country’s local gas production.
Stakeholders said implementing these plans will not only boost local gas production but also ease the pressure caused by import dependency.
According to Petrobangla, the drilling of 32 wells has already been completed in line with the target.
Among those, the 14 wells belonging to Sylhet Gas Fields Limited (SGFL) are: Beanibazar-1, Beanibazar-2, Kailashtila-1, Kailashtila-2, Kailashtila-7, Kailashtila-8, Rashidpur-3, Rashidpur-5, Rashidpur-11, Sylhet-7, Sylhet-10, Sylhet-11, Sylhet-10X, and Rashidpur-2.
The 11 wells drilled by Bangladesh Petroleum Exploration and Production Company Limited (BAPEX) are: Tobgi-1, Srikail North-1, Shariatpur-1, Bhola North-2, Ilisha-1, Sundalpur-3, Begumganj-4 West, Jamalpur-1, Srikail-5, Semutang-6, and Rupganj-1.
The seven wells under Bangladesh Gas Fields Company Limited (BGFCL) are: Titas-14, Titas-16, Titas-24, Titas-28, Habiganj-5, Bakhrabad-7, and Kamta-2.
Sources at Petrobangla said the completed wells had a projected daily output potential of 134.4 mmcfd of gas.
However, due to higher-than-expected gas production from Habiganj-5 well, about 147.9 mmcfd of gas is currently being supplied to the national grid from these 32 wells.
Petrobangla’s Reservoir and Data Management Division reported that although production capacity has increased through well drilling, the full potential is yet to be utilised.
While an additional 60 mmcfd of gas from the completed wells was expected to be added to the national grid, it is being delayed due to pipeline-related complications.
Consequently, ensuring the necessary transmission infrastructure alongside increasing production has become crucial.
Besides, as part of the plan to drill 150 wells, drilling operations for another seven wells are currently underway.
Those include Rashidpur-13, Sundalpur-1 and 4, Titas-29 and 31, Bhola North, and Bakhrabad-6. According to Petrobangla, the drilling work for these wells is scheduled to be completed by January next.
Upon completion, these wells have the potential to add around 96 mmcfd of gas to the national grid. However, the supply of the entire volume to the grid will depend on the capacity of the pipelines and processing plants.
Petrobangla officials said 19 projects are currently ongoing, with another nine projects in the approval process. Plans are in place to drill 31 wells under these projects.
In addition, initiatives to drill four more wells will be undertaken through Petrobangla.
Shafiqul Alam, Lead Energy Analyst at the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA), told BSS that the government's plan to boost local gas production is an initiative aimed at limiting the country's future dependence on imported LNG.
While it is essential to rapidly increase local gas production, it is equally important to ensure that newly discovered gas is supplied to the national gas grid in a timely manner, he said.
He emphasised that relevant agencies must make timely decisions to prevent newly identified gas reserves from remaining unutilised for lack of supply infrastructure.
This is a matter of urgency, given that the current daily gap between gas demand and supply already exceeds 1,000 mmcfd, Shafiqul added.
The officials said the government has prioritised gas exploration in both onshore and offshore areas.
To this end, the "Bangladesh Offshore Bidding Round 2026" has been launched, opening up 26 offshore blocks in the Bay of Bengal to international companies.
Simultaneously, survey activities are underway to pinpoint locations for new wells; initiatives to drill wells in potential areas are being pursued following the analysis of relevant data.
Despite increases in gas production, a supply-demand gap persists. Current daily gas demand stands at around 3,800 mmcfd against a supply of about 2,600 mmcfd.
Of this supply, roughly 1,600 mmcfd comes from local sources, while 900 to 1,000 mmcfd is coming from LNG.
State-owned gas production companies currently have been supplying about 700 mmcfd of gas to the national grid.
With the addition of gas from new wells, the supply from state-owned companies has risen from around 566 mmcfd to 700 mmcfd. Additionally, about 900 mmcfd of gas is being obtained from international oil and gas companies (IOCs).
Talking to BSS, Petrobangla Chairman Md Abdul Mannan said the government is putting emphasis on drilling of new wells and work over operations on existing ones to boost domestic gas exploration and production.
Work on 32 wells has already been completed, and gas from these wells is being added to the national grid, he said.
However, the full production capacity cannot be utilised due to pipeline-related complications, he added.
Mannan said drilling operations for another seven wells are currently underway. Once work on these wells is completed, a significant amount of gas will be added to the national grid, he said.
“Besides, 19 projects are underway, and another nine are in the approval process. Plans are in place to drill 31 wells under these projects. Local exploration activities will be further intensified to boost gas supplies from local sources,” he said.
To ensure energy security, emphasis is being placed on developing necessary infrastructure alongside increasing gas production from local sources.
Stakeholders believe that implementing plans to drill 150 wells by 2031, followed by another 150 wells during the 2031–35, will create opportunities for significant growth in local gas production.