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Bangladesh Gas Fields Company Limited (BGFCL) expects three new wells at the Titas gas field in Brahmanbaria to add at least 45 million cubic feet (mmcf) of gas daily to the national grid within the next six months amid the country’s ongoing energy crisis.
BGFCL, which accounts for around 27% of Bangladesh’s natural gas production, is drilling wells 29, 30 and 31 at the country’s largest gas field to boost output.
Drilling of well 31 is currently underway, while work on well 29 has been completed. Well 31, located in Nandanpur of Brahmanbaria Sadar upazila, began drilling on April 19.
The well is being drilled to a depth of 5,600 metres and has already reached 4,920 metres. BGFCL expects to complete the drilling this year and produce at least 15mmcf of gas daily from the well.
Officials estimate that the area around well 31 could contain around 2 trillion cubic feet of gas.
According to BGFCL, well 29 has been drilled to 2,860 metres, while well 30 will be drilled using the same rig.
Deep Exploration Gas Well Drilling Project Director Md Mahmudul Nawab said drilling of well 31 would take another three months to complete.
“We do not know what lies below that,” he said, adding that the well was being drilled to explore deeper gas-bearing layers amid the country’s energy shortage.
BGFCL Managing Director Engineer Md Abdul Jalil Pramanik said drilling of all three wells is expected to be completed within six months, after which they could supply at least 45mmcf of gas daily to the national grid.
He said the additional supply would be modest compared with overall demand but would help reduce Bangladesh’s reliance on imported LNG.
The Titas gas field was discovered in 1962 by the then Pakistan Shell Oil Company, while commercial production began in 1968.
Currently, 23 producing wells at the field supply an average of 331mmcf of gas daily to the national grid. Production from existing wells has been declining as gas reserves and pressure fall.
BGFCL has also undertaken projects to drill new wells at other gas fields under its operation, with the work to be carried out gradually.
