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Petrobangla has begun drilling a development well of Shahbazpur Gas Field in the southern district of Bhola.
Russian state-controlled gas giant Gazprom was appointed as the contractor for drilling the Tagbi-1 well.
The Bangladesh Petroleum Exploration and Production Company (Bapex), a subsidiary of Petrobangla, appointed Gazprom as a part of the government's initiative to increase domestic production amid a volatile global liquefied natural gas (LNG) market.
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Mahbub Hossain, senior secretary at the Energy and Mineral Resources Division, inaugurated the drilling activity Friday. Petrobangla Chair Nazmul Ahsan was present.
"The Tagbi-1 drilling initiative is part of Petrobangla's plan to dig 46 wells across the country by 2025," Nazmul told UNB.
Gazprom will drill the development well up to a 3,500-metre depth. After the completion of drilling, the well is expected to produce 20-25 million cubic feet (mmcft) of gas daily.
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Under the project, two more exploratory wells will be drilled in Ilisha-1 and Bhola North-2, Nazmul said.
Shahbazpur Gas Field was discovered by Bapex in 1995. Gas production from the field started in May 2009.