PABNA — State-owned Bangladesh Petroleum Exploration and Production Company Limited (BAPEX) has launched preparatory infrastructure works on an ultra-deep exploration well in Pabna district, reigniting prospects for Northern Bangladesh’s first fully operational gas field. The Mobarakpur Deep-1 project, spanning territory in Sujanagar and Santhia upazilas, could supply an estimated 20 million cubic feet of natural gas per day for up to two decades if subsurface reserves are successfully tapped.
Preparatory site development is currently under way across six acres in Kuripara village, situated in Sujanagar’s Ahmedpur Union. Local administration officials recently transferred the land parcel to BAPEX, enabling engineers to begin structural groundwork. Piling operations for the heavy drilling rig foundation commenced on 27 July with an allocated budget of 45 million BDT, and site civil works are expected to run through December. Primary deep-drilling operations are scheduled to start in mid-June 2028, with commercial production potentially coming online by the close of that year.
Subterranean energy prospects in the Pabna basin have drawn geological attention for over four decades. Petrobangla conducted initial seismic surveys across the zone in 1980–81, followed by secondary geological assessments by a German firm in 1983–84 and subsequent BAPEX surveys between 2006 and 2008. These findings prompted BAPEX to lease 28 bighas in Santhia’s Pagla village in 2009. Although test flames were lit at the wellhead, technical complications led to the suspension of extraction, and mobile equipment was shifted around 2017. BAPEX retains administrative control of the leased site.
A subsequent attempt to drill at Mobarakpur in 2014 reached a depth of 4.5 kilometres at a cost of 890 million BDT. Unexpectedly high subterranean gas pressure, combined with equipment limitations at the time, forced engineers to halt operations. The present project aims to drill beyond six kilometres using updated technology tailored for high-pressure reservoirs.
To carry out the ultra-deep drilling, BAPEX has engaged Chinese contractor CNPC Chuanqing Drilling Engineering Company Limited. The engineering firm is finishing an ongoing assignment in Comilla before transferring its heavy rig equipment to Pabna. Financing forms part of an 11.36 billion BDT initiative approved by the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) last December to drill three ultra-deep exploratory wells across the country.
Most of Bangladesh’s producing gas reserves lie in the eastern Sylhet and Chattogram divisions, leaving western and northern districts dependent on long-distance transmission infrastructure. Establishing a functional gas field in Pabna, located roughly five kilometres from the initial Pagla site, would enhance regional energy supplies and support industrial growth across Rajshahi and Rangpur divisions. Successful extraction at Mobarakpur Deep-1 could also pave the way for auxiliary production wells across the wider geological structure.
