New coalfield found in Naogaon

Geological Survey of Bangladesh (GSB) has identified a new coalfield in Naogaon district under the deposit of the newly discovered limestone field at Tilokpur in the district.
"Based on the drilling results at Naogaon, we found a 4-5 feet layer of coal at depth range between 1500 and 2200 feet, a senior official of GSB told the daily Observer.
'We have completed the 'Exploratory Drill Hole' at Tilokpur of Naogaon. Yes, we have found it. However, it will be a huge one, but the depth will be a tough challenge here, he added.
GBS discovered five coalfields in the north-western part of the country. Only one of them is operative.
"The surface drilling confirmed the existence of a sequence of Gondwana coal-bearing sediments," the former chief of GSB chief Dr Nehal Uddin said.
The GSB discovered the first coal basin in Barapukuria between 1985 and '88.
According to the GSB, coal exploration drilling collects information that provides an understanding of the in-place coal resource, including the thickness and depth of the coal seams, whether the seams are flat lying or sloping and the presence of any faults that may offset the coal. It is also important to determine the quality of the coal and how the quality varies over the project area, as well as vertically within the coal seam.
The country has five coalfields with a total reserve of 3,565 million tonnes of coal.
An expert said, "We can produce 1,782 million tonnes of coal considering 50 per cent recovery which will be equivalent to 40 trillion cubic feet of gas."
The five discovered coal basins with an estimated coal deposit are Jamalganj (1,053 million tonnes), Barapukuria (377 million tonnes), Khalaspir (828 million tonnes), Phulbari (about 500 million tonnes) and Dighipara (about 500 million tonnes). The country's recoverable gas reserve is about 14 Trillion Cubic Feet (TCF). However, Bangladesh now has only one running coalfield at Barapukuria.
The GSB official said they are going to start the Tk 70 to Tk 80 lakh job from its own funds. After analyzing the report, it will engage a consultant for designing and the drilling job.