8 Million Cubic Feet of Gas to Be Added to National Grid

Gas extraction has begun from the Srikail-5 well in Cumilla, with the government expecting the new well to add around 8 million cubic feet of gas per day to the national.

The extraction activities from the well were formally inaugurated on Saturday by State Minister for Power and Energy Anindya Islam Amit.

Speaking at the inauguration ceremony, the state minister said Bangladesh’s energy sector has become vulnerable due to heavy reliance on imported fuel. He noted that any global crisis quickly affects the country’s energy supply, highlighting the importance of increasing gas production from domestic sources.

“To reduce dependency on imports, the government is working to boost gas extraction from local fields and achieve greater self-sufficiency in the energy sector,” Amit said.

He also noted that in the past Bangladesh Petroleum Exploration and Production Company Limited (BAPEX) had been effectively weakened, the consequences of which are being felt today. The current government, he said, is working to strengthen BAPEX and provide the organisation with greater operational independence.
According to the state minister, Bangladesh’s gas demand is projected to reach around 4,500 million cubic feet per day within the next five years, and the government aims to meet that demand increasingly from its own gas fields.

Officials at the event also said the government has adopted a 180-day special plan under which an additional 82 million cubic feet of gas per day will be added to the national grid.

Sources said that around 31 million cubic feet of gas per day was produced from the Srikail gas field in 2020. At present, about 17 million cubic feet per day is being supplied to the national grid from five wells in the field.

The drilling project for the Srikail-5 well began on September 28, 2025, with an investment of approximately Tk 132 crore. Officials estimate that the well contains a reserve of about 40 billion cubic feet of gas.

DBTech/BMN/DHE