In an effort to bolster domestic natural gas production and reduce reliance on imported fuel, Bangladesh Petroleum Exploration and Production Company Limited (BAPEX) is preparing to drill three new wells. The project, valued at Tk 729.22 crore, involves drilling one appraisal-cum-development well and two exploratory wells. If successful, these wells are expected to add around 35 million standard cubic feet (MMSCF) of natural gas per day to the national grid.
The draft project, titled 'Drilling of One Appraisal-cum-Development Well (Begumganj-5) and Two Exploratory Wells (Begumganj-6 and Sunetra-2),' will be implemented by BAPEX, a subsidiary of Petrobangla, under the Energy and Mineral Resources Division. The project is scheduled for consideration by the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) meeting, chaired by Prime Minister Tarique Rahman.
Petrobangla Chairman Md Abdul Mannan highlighted the government's decision to drill a total of 150 wells to increase gas supply from domestic sources. He emphasized that necessary geological and geophysical work, including 2D and 3D seismic surveys, is conducted before drilling any well.
The project is expected to be completed by June 2028, with an estimated cost of Tk 729.22 crore, including Tk 583.37 crore from government financing and Tk 145.85 crore from BAPEX's own funds. Technical assessments indicate that the three wells could yield an estimated 711 billion cubic feet (BCF) of recoverable gas reserves, valued at around Tk 120,851 crore.
The project includes drilling the Begumganj-5 well to a depth of about 3,550 metres, the Begumganj-6 well to around 3,400 metres, and the Sunetra-2 well to approximately 5,300 metres. The Begumganj wells are located in Begumganj upazila of Noakhali district, while the Sunetra-2 well will be drilled in Dharmapasha upazila of Sunamganj district.
