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Gazprom renews push for Bhola gas projects
Daily Sun Report, Dhaka
Published: 10 Nov 2026, 12:00 AM
Russian state-owned energy giant Gazprom has renewed efforts to secure a role in gas exploration and infrastructure development in Bhola, reviving several proposals submitted to the Bangladesh government over the past three years.
The proposals include drilling five gas wells, conducting a 3D seismic survey in Bhola, Char Fasson and Hatiya, building a gas transmission pipeline from Bhola to Barishal and setting up a small-scale liquefied natural gas (LNG) facility.
While some of the proposed projects have already been awarded to other companies through competitive tendering, the government is yet to make final decisions on the remaining proposals.
A Gazprom delegation met Md Manzur Alam Pradhan, additional secretary (Development Wing) of the Energy and Mineral Resources Division, at the Secretariat on Monday to discuss the company’s proposals.
A senior official of the division confirmed the meeting, saying Gazprom presented its proposals but no immediate decision was taken.
The latest initiative follows renewed communication by the Russian company with Bangladesh through diplomatic channels to seek progress on proposals submitted since 2023.
In a note verbale dated 11 May, the Russian Embassy in Dhaka referred to meetings between Russian Ambassador Alexander Khozin and Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Iqbal Hassan Mahmood on 30 March, and Foreign Affairs Minister Khalilur Rahman on 2 May.
The embassy sought the Foreign Ministry’s assistance in advancing Gazprom’s proposals. The ministry subsequently forwarded them to the Energy Division on 2 June.
Gazprom first expressed interest in establishing a small-scale LNG facility in Bhola in October 2023, initially proposing a pilot plant with a capacity of up to 11.7 million cubic feet per day.
In February 2024, it proposed a 3D seismic survey covering around 1,930 square kilometres in Bhola, Char Fasson, Hatiya and adjoining areas. The company said analysing the new survey data alongside existing 2D seismic information could help identify around 30 potential drilling locations.
Two months later, Gazprom proposed building a pipeline from Bhola to Barishal, offering several implementation options, including an engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract, a financing-linked arrangement and a build-operate-transfer (BOT) model.
It also proposed forming a joint working group involving Petrobangla and the Gas Transmission Company to oversee work on the pipeline project.
Officials from the Energy Division and Petrobangla said the proposals were considered during the previous Awami League government’s tenure under the Quick Enhancement of Electricity and Energy Supply (Special Provisions) Act 2010. The controversial law allowed energy projects to be awarded without the usual competitive bidding process.
Following the July uprising and the subsequent change of government, the interim administration repealed the law, removing the scope for awarding projects through that mechanism.
In March 2025, Gazprom submitted another proposal to drill five wells in Bhola: Shahbazpur North East-1, Bhola North-3, Bhola North-4, Shahbazpur-5 and Shahbazpur-7.
It offered to provide drilling rigs, manpower, supervision, monitoring and necessary equipment for the work.
However, the government decided to award the contract through open competitive tendering. China’s Sinopec International Petroleum Services Corporation secured the contract, which the government approved at Tk907.29 crore in December 2025. The work order was issued in January this year.
The five wells covered by the contract are the same ones Gazprom had proposed to drill, effectively ruling out the Russian company from that particular assignment. It is now seeking opportunities in other Bhola projects and future exploration activities.
In its latest communication, Gazprom highlighted Bhola’s gas potential, claiming that the area’s nine existing wells could produce around 200 million cubic feet of gas per day. It also argued that further seismic surveys could identify additional exploration prospects.
Gazprom has more than a decade of experience in Bangladesh’s gas sector. According to its subsidiary Gazprom International, the company has designed and constructed around 20 appraisal, exploration and production wells in the country under contracts with Bapex, Bangladesh Gas Fields Company and Sylhet Gas Fields.
In 2020, it also signed a memorandum of understanding with Bapex to assess the potential of existing gas fields and new exploration prospects in Bhola.
Gazprom’s renewed initiative reflects its interest in participating in the development of Bhola’s gas resources and related infrastructure. Any future involvement, however, will depend on government decisions and the applicable procurement process.