Vast reserves, slow exploration: The great Bangladesh gas paradox

Bangladesh is a nation practically floating on a sea of potential energy, yet its journey to tap into these subterranean riches has been anything but a straight line. Long before the first industrial burner was lit, the region's geological secrets were being poked and prodded by curious explorers. 

The real drama of Bangladesh's natural gas history lies in the contrast between its world-class reserves and a startlingly slow pace of exploration, resulting in a story that is part geological miracle and part administrative slow-burn.

The quest for energy began over a century ago. Burmah Oil Company started surface geological mapping around Chittagong in 1908, and between 1910 and 1914, it and the Indian Petroleum Prospecting Company drilled four exploratory wells at Sitakunda that recorded traces of gas but no commercial find. 

The First World War halted exploration; once it resumed, Burmah Oil sank two more wells at Patharia between 1923 and 1933, again turning up oil and gas shows without a workable discovery. 

A second interruption followed the Second World War, and it wasn't until 1951 that Pakistan Petroleum Limited — a Burmah Oil subsidiary — resumed the search in greater Sylhet, striking the region's first gas discovery at Haripur by 1955.

The 1960s were the true "Golden Age" of discovery. Pakistan Shell Oil Company unearthed a string of massive fields during this decade, including Rashidpur (1960), Kailashtilla (1962), Titas (1962), and Habiganj (1963). 

While Titas is confirmed as the country's largest field by reserve, it was the Chhatak field (discovered in 1959 by Pakistan Petroleum Limited) that holds the title of providing the nation's first industrial gas connection, coming onstream alongside the original Sylhet field in the 1960–61 fiscal year to fuel a cement factory.

Domestic usage followed shortly after, leading to a rather poetic milestone. In October 1968, the Titas Gas Transmission and Distribution Company began supplying gas for home cooking; the very first residence in Dhaka to enjoy this luxury belonged to the renowned author Shawkat Osman. 

Today, gas is the lifeblood of the nation, meeting 56% of Bangladesh's total energy demand. While many fields contribute to this, Bibiyana is the undisputed heavyweight champion — government data for the 2024–25 fiscal year puts it at exactly half of the country's entire local natural gas output.

However, the path to energy security has been riddled with obstacles. Experts have described the last two decades as a "chronicle of shoddy gas exploration". Despite sitting on one of the most prospective basins in the world, Bangladesh drilled a mere 26 exploratory wells between 2000 and 2022 — an average of only one well per year. This leisurely pace has left the country as one of the least explored hydrocarbon basins on the planet. This is particularly ironic given that geoscientists believe the country's maritime exclusive economic zone (EEZ) could hold some of the largest gas reserves in the Asia-Pacific region.

The history is also marked by literal and figurative explosions. In 2005, the Chhatak field (also known as Tengratila) suffered two major blowouts while being drilled by the Canadian company Niko Resources. 

The second blowout created a massive fireball estimated at 150 to 300 feet high, causing extensive environmental damage and triggering an international legal battle that has spanned close to two decades — Bangladesh only secured a final damages award against Niko in late 2025.

Long before gas became the standard, Dhaka was obsessed with the spectacle of light. In 1877, street kerosene lamp posts were first introduced to the city. This fascination culminated in the "Electric Light Festival" on 7 December 1901. 

Nawab Ahsanullah spent an eye-watering sum to bring electricity to the city's main roads and his palace, Ahsan Manzil. In a moment of high drama, the switch used to permanently open the installation was a gold-mounted pen and pencil.

Currently, Bangladesh is attempting to pivot from its exploration "mid-life crisis". To reduce a heavy reliance on expensive imported LNG, Petrobangla has announced an ambitious program to drill 46 wells by 2025, including exploratory, development, and workover wells. 

As the nation looks toward its "blue economy" in the Bay of Bengal, the hope is to finally match its rich geological heritage with the drilling rigour it deserves