Promising gas well at Santhia remains stalled for a decade

SANTHIA, PABNA, Oct  11:  A promising gas well in Santhia Upazila of Pabna has remained inactive for nearly a decade although the country has been facing a severe energy shortage.

Bangladesh Petroleum Exploration and Production Company Ltd (Bapex), the state-owned oil and gas exploration and production company, had identified the well in Pagla-Chandipur Village under Khetupara Union as promising. However, exploration was suspended due to technical difficulties and high underground pressure.

Locals are now demanding that the authorities reassess the well and take steps to resume exploration amid the country's ongoing energy crisis.

If the well can be brought into operation, it could increase gas supply to the national grid and have a positive impact on fuel supplies in Pabna and other northern districts, according to local residents and officials.

According to sources, gas exploration and drilling began around 2009 after 28 bighas of land were leased in Pagla-Chandipur Village. On August 22, 2014, then Petrobangla chairman Prof Dr Hossain Monsur formally inaugurated the drilling work.

After the well was drilled, gas was reportedly found and a pipeline was ignited. Bapex later moved its operations elsewhere. Permanent and temporary equipment and materials were removed around 2017, although Bapex continues to maintain the leased land and the drilling site.

Bapex officials said five promising gas-bearing zones were identified at depths of around 4,250 to 4,700 metres during exploration.

However, technical complications and excessive underground pressure prevented the company from completing the final process of extracting gas at the targeted depth. Exploration was subsequently suspended and the well has remained inactive since then.

Experts said leaving a promising gas well unexplored for such a long period was undesirable and called for a fresh assessment using modern technology.
Meanwhile, Bapex and Petrobangla have taken an initiative to conduct deeper exploration with international technical assistance under the Mubarakpur Deep-1 project in neighbouring Sujanagar to reassess the area's gas potential.

Locals said it was unacceptable that exploration at a potentially promising well remained suspended when industries and households in different parts of the country were facing gas shortages.
Local resident Shafiqul Islam said the well had already shown signs of gas potential.

“If modern technology is used to resume exploration and extraction, there may be an opportunity to supply gas from here to the national grid,” he said.

S A M Merajul Alam, Project Director of the Mubarakpur Deep-1 project and deputy general manager (operations) of Bapex, said the Pagla well had gas potential but the earlier attempt was unsuccessful.

“A new deep well is being drilled at Mubarakpur in Sujanagar. If we succeed there, it could open opportunities for drilling more wells in surrounding areas,” he said.

Petrobangla Director (Operations and Mines) Engineer Md Shoaib said exploration had been suspended because of high underground gas pressure and technological limitations at the time.

“If the gas exploration and drilling project is approved, modern technology will be used this time. If the well can be brought back into operation, it will have a positive impact on gas supply in Pabna and the northern region,” he said.