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. Also read: US companies encouraged for oil, gas exploration in Bangladesh's offshore 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. Also read: Fuel, natural gas price hikes to have domino effect on economy: DCCI 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.