Dhaka: Bangladesh Gas Fields Company Limited (BGFCL) today signed an agreement with the Chinese company Chuanqing Drilling Engineering Company Ltd to drill two deep gas wells in the Titas and Bakhrabad fields. BGFCL company secretary Md Mozahar Ali and Chief Executive Officer of Chuanqing Drilling Engineering Company Ltd (CDECL) Li Xiaoming signed the agreement on behalf of their respective sides. Present at the signing were Chairman of Petrobangla Rezanur Rahman and senior officials from CDECL, Petrobangla, BGFCL, and BAPEX.
According to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, the agreement aims to address the country's existing energy shortage. The deal includes drilling two deep exploration wells, Titas-31 at a depth of 5600 meters and Bakhrabad-11 at 4300 meters, to extract gas from deeper earth layers. The project, with an estimated cost of Tk. 798 crore, will be funded by a combination of a Government of Bangladesh (GoB) loan of Tk 558.60 crore and BGFCL's own equity of Tk 239.40 crore.
The decision to drill these wells follows a comprehensive analysis of 3D seismic survey data collected by BAPEX in 2011-2012, which was later re-evaluated by the China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) in 2019-2020. Based on the Geotechnical Order (GTO), the drilling will target four prospective layers within the Bhuban and Borail formations beneath the unexplored overpressure zone in Titas and two similar layers in Bakhrabad.
The drilling will confirm the presence, distribution, and gas reserves under the 3700-5600 meters in the Titas and Bakhrabad fields. The project is scheduled for implementation from July 2025 to December 2027. The wells will be Bangladesh's first High-Pressure High-Temperature (HPHT) drilling, with anticipated reservoir pressures reaching 15,000 PSI and temperatures around 390°F.
Petrobangla officials highlighted that the successful completion of the wells could significantly enhance domestic gas production, reducing the country's reliance on imports. Upon completion and testing, the Titas-31 Deep well is projected to deliver approximately 15 million cubic feet per day (mmcfd) of gas, while the Bakhrabad-11 Deep well is expected to contribute around 10 mmcfd to the national grid.