New Titas well adds 12.5mmcfd of gas to national grid

Highlights:

• New well Titas-28 costs around Tk200 crore to drill
• Govt plans to drill 150 wells by 2030
• Drilling of 27 wells is already underway
• Three more Titas wells could add 45mmcfd
• Govt seeks to reduce reliance on costly imported LNG

A new well at the Titas Gas Field in Brahmanbaria has started supplying 12.5 million cubic feet (mmcfd) of gas per day to the national grid, offering a modest boost to domestic production amid an ongoing supply shortage.

Bangladesh Gas Fields Company Limited (BGFCL) began supplying gas from the Titas-28 well following its formal inauguration today (19 September) by State Minister for Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Aninda Islam Amit.

Speaking at the inauguration, the state minister said the addition of 12.5mmcfd from the well was encouraging at a time when the country was facing an energy crisis.

"We have taken an initiative to drill 150 wells by 2030 to become self-sufficient in energy. Drilling of 27 wells is already underway. Titas-28 is one of them," he said.

He said three more wells are planned at the Titas field. If drilling is successful, they are expected to add another 45mmcfd of gas to the national grid.

The state minister said the government is working to increase domestic gas production as imported LNG has become increasingly expensive.

"We are buying LNG at two to three times the price we used to pay. We do not have the capacity to bear this cost," he said.

He also said domestic gas companies had remained neglected for around one and a half decades, limiting their ability to contribute to the country's energy supply.

"We have now created opportunities for these institutions to work. That is why they are being able to demonstrate their capabilities," Amit said.

The government is also working to strengthen state-owned Bangladesh Petroleum Exploration and Production Company Limited (Bapex) to increase domestic gas production, he said. Two drilling rigs are currently being procured, while another is also planned.

Local officials are also being trained so they can undertake exploration and drilling activities based on their skills and competence, he said.

Abdul Jalil Pramanik, managing director of BGFCL, said increasing local gas production is a priority as the country faces a major gas supply problem.

"Titas-28 is one of our initiatives to increase domestic gas supply. It is a shallow well. Our target is to increase gas supply through drilling deeper wells," he said.

He said drilling of the Titas-31 well is currently underway and described it as the country's deepest well drilling project.