Petrobangla, the state-owned oil and gas corporation, is set to add about 143 million cubic feet of gas per day (mmcfd) to the national grid through intensified exploration programmes, including a work plan for drilling and workover of 50 wells across the country.
"We have already kicked off the workover of 11 wells, which are now at the completion stage. However, Petrobangla has intensified several exploration programmes, including a work plan of 50 wells for drilling and workover by 2025-26, and 100 wells by 2026-28," Tarikul Islam Khan, Director (Public Relations), told the media on Wednesday evening.
According to Petrobangla, it has procured three rigs to boost drilling operations and will start drilling the Titas-28 development well on 27 November 2025.
"BAPEX is going to sign with a third-party contractor under the open tender method to drill five wells in the Bhola region. It is anticipated that by January 2026, a total of 11 rigs - five BAPEX rigs and six turnkey rigs - will be engaged in drilling and workover operations of 11 wells concurrently," the official said.
To expedite drilling operations, BAPEX is in the process of purchasing two additional rigs, in addition to its existing five, Petrobangla added.
Meanwhile, the drilling of the Titas-31 deep exploration well (under BGFCL) will commence in January 2026 using another turnkey rig. The Sylhet-10x, Sylhet-11, and Rashidpur-11 wells will be drilled by third-party contractors.
Drilling and workover of several other wells - including Srikail-5 drilling, Habiganj-5 workover, Kailashtila-1 workover, Beanibazar-2 workover, and Semutang-6 workover - will be conducted by BAPEX.
It may be mentioned that Bangladesh Petroleum Exploration and Production Company Limited (BAPEX) recently discovered commercial gas in Block-8 through the drilling of the Jamalpur-1 exploration well, the first-ever discovery in this block. To assess the reservoir and its extension, two more wells (one exploration and one development) have been planned, and a DPP is under preparation.
Additionally, crude oil indications have been noticed in the Haripur Structure during the drilling of Sylhet-10 well in the Haripur Gas Field under Petrobangla. To evaluate the commercial recovery of the oil reservoir, drilling of the Sylhet-12 oil well has been undertaken.
A total of 19 more wells are planned to evaluate discovered gas reserves and the aerial extension of reservoir zones in Bhola, the largest island in Bangladesh. The gas from Bhola will supply the proposed industrial hub there, which is expected to play a pivotal role in regional economic growth and employment generation.
To assess deeper gas prospects, drilling of four deep wells - two in Titas and Bakhrabad fields under BGFCL, and two in Srikail and Mobarakpur structures under BAPEX - is underway.
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 locations.
Currently, eight drilling rigs - five from BAPEX and three under turnkey arrangements - are in operation across eight wells.
