Russia’s Gazprom starts drilling well for gas at Bhola in Bangladesh

Russia’s Gazprom has started drilling a well at Shahbazpur gas field in Bhola.

The Russian state energy company will drill two more wells in the island district along Bangladesh’s coasts, said Mohammad Ali, managing director of Bangladesh Petroleum Exploration and Production Company or Bapex.

After the drilling of Tobogi-1 well began on Thursday night, officials said they hope the well will produce up to 25 million cubic feet of gas daily, but the size of the reserves will be known once the well is drilled.

The two wells awaiting drilling are Ilisha-1 and Bhola North-2. Gazprom will complete drilling the first well within 2023, said Ali.

After a geological survey two years ago, Bapex found gas at three locations in Bhola. The new wells at these locations will take the number of gas wells in the district to nine.

Officials said Shahbazpur gas field produces 45 million cubic feet of gas daily to four power plants, a factory and a residential zone. Four wells of the field have a reserve of 1.3 trillion cubic feet of gas. Two other wells in the field have a reserve of 1.7 trillion cubic feet of gas.

Gazprom drilled 10 wells under a turn-key deal after Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina called for help in exploration during her 2010 Russia visit.