Drilling of Bangladesh’s first deep gas production well has begun at the Titas gas field in Brahmanbaria, with about 15 million cubic feet per day (mmcfd) of gas expected to be added to the national grid in around seven months.
The well, located in Budhal area of Sadar upazila, was inaugurated on Sunday (April 19) by Petrobangla Director (Finance) AKM Mizanur Rahman, with the project cost estimated at Tk600 crore.
Currently, about 325 million cubic feet of gas is supplied daily from 22 producing wells at the Titas field, operated by Bangladesh Gas Fields Company Limited (BGFCL), a state-owned company under Petrobangla.
However, output has declined as reserves and pressure have fallen after prolonged extraction at the country’s oldest gas field.
To boost production, BGFCL has taken up a programme to drill two deep wells at the Titas and Bakhrabad gas fields, with the new Titas well to be drilled to a depth of 5,600 metres over about seven months by Chinese contractor CCDC.
BGFCL Managing Director Md Abdul Jalil Pramanik said new wells and workover operations on existing wells are being undertaken to increase production, adding that successful drilling at Titas and Bakhrabad would significantly add to daily gas supplies.
Petrobangla Director AKM Mizanur Rahman said a plan has been taken to drill 50 wells this year to ensure energy security, noting that developing domestic energy sources has become more important amid the Middle East conflict.
He said successful completion of the Titas deep well would help increase supply to the national grid.
Officials including BGFCL Managing Director Md Abdul Jalil Pramanik, Company Secretary Mozahar Ali and Project Director Md Mahmudul Nawab were present at the inauguration.
