TDS DESK:

Finance Minister AH Mahmood Ali in his budget speech has said Bapex plans to drill and workover 48 wells under Petrobangla between January 2023 and December 2025 to explore and extract oil and gas in onshore areas to meet the increasing gas demand of the country.

While placing the national budget for 2024-25 fiscal year (FY) in Jatiya Sangsad (JS) on Thursday (June 6), he said the government is working relentlessly to ensure safe and adequate energy supply in the country and natural gas accounts for 54 to 59 per cent of the country’s total commercial fuel.

“In January 2009, gas production was 1,744 million cubic feet per day, which has now increased to about 2,100 million cubic feet,” he said, adding that besides, about 1,000-1,050 million cubic feet of imported Liquefied natural gas (LNG) is being added to the national grid daily.

The minister said about 14 million tonnes of coal has been extracted from Barapukuria Coal Mine Company Limited till January 2024, which is being used in Barapukuria Thermal Power Plant to generate electricity.

Currently, the number of discovered gas fields is 29, of which 20 are in production.

It is to be noted that a total of 49 wells (12 exploration, 6 development and 31 workover wells) have been completed by BAPEX since February 2014. Source: BSS