BAPEX (Bangladesh Petroleum Exploration & Production Company Limited) is currently operating five rigs for drilling to expand the country’s natural gas reserves capacity. In addition, three more rigs are working under turnkey contracts. To further accelerate exploration, Petrobangla (Bangladesh Oil, Gas and Mineral Corporation) now plans to bring in three more contracted rigs. In total, six contracted rigs—alongside BAPEX’s own rigs—will be engaged in drilling operations.
The Energy Division says domestic gas reserves are depleting rapidly. Under such circumstances, relying solely on BAPEX’s rigs will not be sufficient to progress. The Energy Department has taken up a plan to drill and work over 100 wells between 2026 and 2028. More rigs will be required to achieve this target. Several contracted rigs have already arrived, with the remaining expected in early 2026.
According to Petrobangla, a total of 11 rigs will operate simultaneously across onshore locations for drilling and workover activities. Once the planned wells are completed, around 143 million cubic feet of gas per day is expected to be added to the national grid. Currently, among BAPEX’s five rigs, Bijoy-10 is drilling the Srikail-5 well in the Srikail gas field in Cumilla, and Bijoy-11 is working at the Habiganj-5 well. Bijoy-12 is drilling Kailashtila-1 in Sylhet, while Bijoy-18 will drill well no. 6 in the Semutang field in Khagrachhari. The IPS rig is drilling the Beanibazar-2 well in Sylhet. The Energy Division plans to procure two additional rigs for the company to strengthen BAPEX’s drilling capacity.
Two officials from BAPEX and Petrobangla, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Bonik Barta that the companies for these drilling operations have been selected through open tender. Drilling and workover activities will be carried out under BAPEX, Sylhet Gas Fields Limited (SGFL), and Bangladesh Gas Fields Company Limited (BGFCL). Under the turnkey model, the contracted companies will supply all necessary equipment, rigs, and services required for drilling, while Petrobangla will pay for the services.
The sources informed that the Sylhet-10X, Sylhet-11 (oil well), and Rashidpur-11 wells will be drilled by third-party contractors. The Titas-18 and Titas-31 (deep) wells, as well as wells on Bhola Island, will also be drilled by third-party companies. Meanwhile, Srikail-5, Habiganj-5 (workover), Kailashtila-1 (workover), Beanibazar-2 (workover), and Semutang-6 (workover) will be handled by BAPEX.
It has been found that drilling at the Titas-28 well, one of the country’s largest gas fields, will begin on November 27, 2025, using a contracted rig. Meanwhile, another rig will engage in January to drill the Titas-31 well. BGFCL has signed a contract with the Chinese drilling firm CCDC (CNPC Chuanqing Drilling Engineering Company Ltd.) for this work. BAPEX and a third-party consulting firm is expected to sign a contract with China’s Sinopec to drill wells on Bhola Island. According to BAPEX sources, one rig will be deployed for drilling on the island after finalizing the agreement with the Chinese company.
So far, nine wells have been drilled in the island district of Bhola, discovering 180 million cubic feet of gas per day. At present, consumption on the island stands at 82 million cubic feet per day, leaving nearly 100 million cubic feet unused there due to low demand. Petrobangla has already taken steps to build a pipeline to transport Bhola’s gas to the mainland. The rig will be used through a contractual company in the Patrobangla’s newly planned wells on the island.
When asked, Petrobangla’s Director (PSC), Engineer Md Shoaib, told Bonik Barta, “To boost gas production in the shortest time, Petrobangla has accelerated its drilling activities. We have a target up to 2028, and achieving it requires significantly more rigs. A total of 11 rigs will be in operation simultaneously, which has never happened before. If we can successfully use these rigs, progress will be much faster according to the target.”
The country’s daily gas demand is 3.8 billion cubic feet, while supply stands slightly above 2.7 billion cubic feet. Domestic gas production continues to decline sharply. To address the shortfall, Petrobangla is increasing LNG imports alongside expanding local exploration. But energy experts warn that reliance on expensive LNG imports poses financial risks for the economy.
Petrobangla says it aims to drill and overhaul 50 wells during the current FY 2025–26 and 100 wells between 2026 and 2028. Exploration and drilling initiatives have been intensified across various blocks in the country. In the meantime, two more wells (one development and one exploratory) are planned to drill to assess reserves and field potential in Jamalpur. The Development Project Proposal (DPP) is currently being prepared. During the drilling at the Sylhet-10 well at the Haripur gas field under SGFL, traces of petroleum were found. In addition, the drilling of the Sylhet-12 oil well is underway to ensure the commercial extraction of the fuel oil stored in Haripur.