The government plans to drill two exploration and development wells at Titas, the country’s largest domestic gas field, at a cost of Tk 592 crore.
Once running, the two wells would add about 30 million cubic feet of gas a day to the national grid.
An official linked to the project, “Drilling of two exploration and development wells (Titas-32 and Titas-33) at Titas gas field”, said on Thursday (22 October) that it will be placed for approval before the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) on 25 October.
Prime Minister Tarique Rahman, ECNEC’s chairperson, will chair the meeting at the Bangladesh Secretariat.
Bangladesh Gas Fields Company Limited (BGFCL), a Petrobangla company, will carry out the project under the Energy and Mineral Resources Division of the Ministry of Power, Energy and Mineral Resources.
A Petrobangla official said the project is set to run from October 2026 to September 2029.
Of the total cost, Tk 414.40 crore will come from government funds and Tk 177.60 crore from the company’s own funds, he said.
Petrobangla chairman Abdul Mannan said the two new wells are expected to produce about 30 million cubic feet of gas a day, along with condensate.
Gas from the new wells will help raise supply to the national grid, he said, and 18 barrels of condensate will also be available.
The government has moved to drill more wells in line with its targets, which will reduce reliance on imported liquefied natural gas (LNG).
Mannan said the government has set a target of drilling 150 wells by 2031 to raise gas output, followed by another 150 between 2031 and 2035, to strengthen the country’s own production.
According to the project proposal, the two wells could produce about 100.74 billion cubic feet (bcf) of gas and 60,444 barrels of condensate over 10 years.
At the company’s current wellhead price, the gas and condensate would be worth an estimated Tk 339.07 crore: Tk 285.26 crore for the gas and Tk 53.81 crore for the condensate.
At consumer-level gas prices, the gas produced over the same period would be worth an estimated Tk 6,523.97 crore.
BGFCL currently supplies about 480 to 485 million cubic feet of gas a day to the national grid from five of its six producing fields.
At Titas, the company’s largest field, 23 of the 28 wells drilled produce about 330 million cubic feet a day.
The project is based on a review of 3D seismic survey data collected at the Titas and Bakhrabad fields between 2010 and 2012. BGFCL hired BGP Inc, a unit of China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC), to review the data. The consultant recommended 16 new wells and seven deep wells at the two fields.
Titas-32 and Titas-33 have been given priority under the government’s plan to drill 150 onshore wells to raise domestic output.
Under the project, a foreign contractor will drill the two wells, local and foreign consultants will be hired, and gas-gathering pipelines and related works will be built.
Infrastructure Investment Facilitation Company (IIFC) carried out the project’s feasibility study in 2026.
The Planning Commission said the project would cut LNG imports, save foreign currency and support domestic gas production and industrial growth.
At a Project Evaluation Committee (PEC) meeting on 18 June 2026, it was recommended that the cost be brought down to a reasonable level. The estimate was then cut by Tk 40 crore, from the initial Tk 632 crore to Tk 592 crore.
বাংলায় মূল প্রতিবেদন পড়ুন · Read the original Bengali report