Bangladesh Petroleum Exploration and Production Company Limited, or Bapex, has formally begun drilling the Sundarpur-4 appraisal-cum-development gas well in Senbagh, Noakhali. Bapex Deputy General Manager for Drilling and drilling in-charge Zakir Hossain Khan said the work started on Tuesday afternoon. The well is located in Bara Charigaon village of Nabipur Union in Senbagh.

Project officials said the well was named Sundarpur-4 because it belongs to the same underground gas field. Sundarpur gas field wells 1, 2 and 3 were previously drilled in the Sirajpur area of Companiganj. Although the new well is about 13 kilometres from the Sundarpur-2 well, it is part of the same reservoir.

The target depth is about 1,600 metres, with a possible gas-bearing layer estimated at around 1,361 metres. Bapex aims to complete drilling within two months, followed by a drill stem test requiring another 15 to 20 days. Based on analysis of nearby wells, Bapex expects the well could produce five to seven million cubic feet of gas per day.