The government would float an open tender to drill 26 wells in different gas fields soon in order to enhance gas production, adviser for power and energy Muhammad Fouzul Kabir Khan said at a press briefing at secretariat on Thursday.
He said that the government would not go to award any contract on G-to-G basis to any foreign company or no contract would be signed on an unsolicited basis.
鈥楾he move has been initiated in order to reduce the dependence on imported LNG which involves huge foreign currency.鈥�
Fouzul Kabir said that 100 wells would be drilled in between 2025 and 2028 and of these wells, some 69 wells were for exploration and development while the remaining 31 would be workover wells.
Of the 69 wells, state-owned Bangladesh Petroleum Exploration and Production Company Limited will drill 43 and the remaining 26 will be drilled by inviting contractors through open tender process.
BAPEX will drill 33 wells at different gas fields using its own rigs while it will drill 10 wells with rented rigs.
鈥榃e want to fully utilise the capabilities of the BAPEX,鈥� the adviser told reporters.
The Petrobangla chairman Zanedra Nath Sarker hoped that he would be able to float tender within 15 days if the adviser approved his plan in a week.
The adviser said that the offshore bidding round, which had already been invited for the international companies, would be closed in December as per the deadline. 鈥楢lready seven international companies have shown their interest to bid for gas blocks.鈥�
鈥楤ut the new plan has been chalked out for the onshore gas fields,鈥� he added.
Energy secretary Md Nurul Alam was present on the occasion.
