PABNA — Bangladesh Petroleum Exploration and Production Company Limited (BAPEX) has initiated work on a deep exploration well in Pabna, raising hopes for Northern Bangladesh’s first fully functional gas field. The Mobarakpur Deep-1 project, situated across Santhia and Sujanagar upazilas, holds the potential to supply at least 20 million cubic feet of natural gas per day over a 20-year lifespan if drilling operations prove successful.
Groundwork for the ambitious venture is already under way in Kuripara village, located within Sujanagar’s Ahmedpur Union. State-owned exploration firm BAPEX has acquired six acres of land, officially handed over by the local upazila administration, to build essential infrastructure and site foundations. Piling works for the rig foundation began on 27 July at an estimated cost of 45 million BDT, with structural preparations scheduled for completion by December. Primary drilling operations are slated to commence in mid-June 2028, with commercial gas extraction anticipated by the end of that year if hydrocarbon deposits are successfully tapped.
Geological interest in Pabna’s subsurface potential dates back several decades. Initial seismic surveys were conducted by Petrobangla during 1980–81, followed by secondary evaluations from a German firm in 1983–84 and further BAPEX surveys between 2006 and 2008. Encouraged by these findings, BAPEX leased land in Santhia’s Pagla village in 2009 to drill an exploratory well. Although technicians successfully ignited test flames at the wellhead, extraction operations were abruptly abandoned, and portable machinery was relocated around 2017. BAPEX continues to maintain the leased site.
An earlier attempt to drill in Mobarakpur took place in 2014 at a cost of 890 million BDT, reaching a depth of four and a half kilometres. However, unexpected high-pressure subterranean gas zones combined with technical constraints forced engineers to suspend operations. The current initiative plans to drill over six kilometres deep using advanced technology to overcome those past hurdles.
To execute the project, BAPEX has partnered with the Chinese firm CNPC Chuanqing Drilling Engineering Company Limited. The contractor is currently completing a drilling assignment in Comilla, after which its heavy drilling rig and machinery will be transported to Mobarakpur. Funding for the enterprise falls under a broader 11.36 billion BDT project approved by the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) last December to drill three ultra-deep exploration wells nationwide.
The majority of Bangladesh’s operational gas fields are concentrated in the eastern Sylhet and Chattogram divisions, leaving western and northern regions heavily reliant on cross-country pipelines. Establishing a viable gas field in Pabna would significantly boost industrial development and energy security across the region. BAPEX officials noted that success at the Mobarakpur site, located roughly five kilometres from the original Pagla well, could pave the way for additional production wells across the broader structure.
