Gas production has officially started from the Srikail?5 Gas Well in Cumilla, with an estimated daily output of 8 million cubic feet of gas, officials said.
The well was formally inaugurated on Saturday by State Minister for Power and Energy Anindya Islam Amit. Drilling at the site began on September 28, 2025, and the project cost approximately Tk 132 crore.
According to officials of Petrobangla, data analysis suggests the well contains around 40 billion cubic feet of gas reserves.
Speaking at the event, the state minister said Bangladesh’s energy sector had become vulnerable due to heavy dependence on imported fuel, making the country exposed to global crises. He stressed that the government aims to achieve greater energy self-reliance by increasing gas production from domestic sources.
He also said the previous government weakened the national exploration company BAPEX, and emphasized that the current administration intends to strengthen the company and allow it to operate more independently.
The minister noted that Bangladesh’s gas demand could reach 4,500 million cubic feet per day within the next five years, and efforts are underway to develop domestic fields to meet this demand.
Officials at the inauguration also announced a 180-day government action plan aimed at adding an additional 82 million cubic feet of gas per day to the national grid.
Gas production in the Srikail area once reached 31 million cubic feet per day in 2020, but currently about 17 million cubic feet per day is being supplied to the national grid from five wells.
Among others present at the event were Energy Division Secretary Saiful Islam, Petrobangla Chairman Md Erfanul Haque, Petrobangla Director Engineer Rafiqul Islam, and BAPEX Managing Director Engineer Fazlul Haque.
