The Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) on Wednesday approved a total of 13 development projects with an estimated cost of Tk58,088.92 crore, including a fresh project to drill two new gas wells at Tk592 crore for availing 30 mmcfd.
Prime Minister and ECNEC Chairman Tarique Rahman presided over the sixth ECNEC meeting of the current fiscal year (FY27) at the Cabinet Room of Bangladesh Secretariat on Wednesday.
Of the approved 13 projects, 11 are new while two are revised projects.
Of the total estimated cost of Tk58,088.92 crore, the government will provide Tk50,041.20 crore, Tk73.07 crore will come from concerned organization’s own funds, while the rest of Tk7,974.65 crore from project assistance.
State Minister for Planning Md Zonayed Abdur Rahim Saki briefed reporters after the meeting at the NEC Conference Room in the city’s Sher-e-Bangla Nagar area.
According to the Planning Commission, the government will drill two appraisal-cum-development wells at the Titas Gas Field at an estimated cost of Tk592 crore to increase domestic gas production by around 30 million cubic feet per day (mmcfd).
The project titled "Drilling of Two Appraisal-cum-Development Wells (Titas-32 and Titas-33) at Titas Gas Field" will be implemented by the Bangladesh Gas Fields Company Limited (BGFCL), a Petrobangla subsidiary, under the Energy and Mineral Resources Division of the Ministry of Power, Energy and Mineral Resources till September 2029.
Of the total estimated cost, Tk414.40 crore will come from government financing and Tk177.60 crore from the company's own funds.
The government has set a target to drill 150 wells by 2031 to raise gas output, followed by another 150 wells during the 2031-'35 period to further strengthen the country's local gas production.
According to the proposal, the wells could produce around 100.74 billion cubic feet (BCF) of gas and 60,444 barrels of condensate over 10 years. The estimated value of the output at the company's existing wellhead prices stands at Tk339.07 crore, including Tk285.26 crore for gas and Tk53.81 crore for condensate.
At consumer-level gas prices, the estimated value of the gas output over the same period would be Tk6,523.97 crore.
BGFCL currently supplies around 480-485 million cubic feet of gas daily to the national grid from five of its six operational gas fields. The Titas Gas Field, the company's largest, produces around 330 million cubic feet daily from 23 of its 28 drilled wells.
The project follows a review of three-dimensional seismic survey data collected at the Titas and Bakhrabad gas fields during 2010-2012. BGFCL engaged BGP Inc. of China National Petroleum Corporation to review the data. The consultant recommended drilling 16 infill wells and seven deep wells.
The government has prioritised Titas-32 and Titas-33 under its plan to drill 150 onshore gas wells to increase domestic production.
The project will cover drilling the two wells through a foreign contractor, engaging local and foreign consultants, installing gas-gathering pipelines and carrying out related works.
The Infrastructure Investment Facilitation Company (IIFC) conducted the feasibility study in 2026. The Planning Commission said the project would support domestic gas production, industrial development and foreign exchange savings by reducing LNG imports.
The proposal was revised following a Project Evaluation Committee meeting held on June 18, 2026, which recommended rationalising project costs. The estimated cost was reduced by Tk40 crore from the initial proposal of Tk632 crore to Tk592 crore.
In the day’s meeting, the Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives Ministry secured approval for five projects, while the Home Ministry received approval for two projects. The Ministries of Defence, Housing and Public Works, Science and Technology, Education, Power, Energy and Mineral Resources, and Disaster Management and Relief received approval for one project each.
Planning Ministry officials said the 13 projects include initiatives covering safe water supply and sanitation in the Barind region with Taka 1,203.73 crore, re-excavation of canals in Barishal City Corporation, and local economic development in selected municipalities with Tk730.66 crore.
The three other projects under the Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives Ministry include Innovation for Climate-Smart Urban Development Project with Tk87.40 crore; Social Infrastructure Development Project (SIDP) with Tk2,565.59 crore and the Priority Basis Important Rural Infrastructure Development Project-03 (Third Revision) with an additional cost of Tk3,951.37 crore.
The two projects approved under the Home Ministry involve the procurement of specialised vehicles and operational vehicles to enhance the capacity of Bangladesh Police.
The Defence Ministry will implement a project to construct Type-B officers’ residential accommodation in the Moinul Road residential area of Dhaka Cantonment with Tk177.19 crore.
The Housing and Public Works Ministry will construct multi-storey residential buildings for government employees at Gabtala Colony in Jigatala with Taka 200.11 crore.
The Science and Technology Ministry will establish Institutes of Nuclear Medicine and Allied Sciences (INMAS) on the campuses of five medical college hospitals across the country with Tk535.54 crore.
The Education Ministry received approval for the Fifth Primary Education Development Programme (PEDP-5) with Tk41,090.48 crore.
The Disaster Management and Relief Ministry will implement the third revised project for constructing bridges and culverts up to 15 metres in length on rural roads with an additional cost of Tk523.34 crore.
Meanwhile, the meeting was informed about five projects costing less than Tk50 crore each that the planning minister had already approved.
The projects include the modernisation of cardiac treatment services at Zia Heart Foundation Hospital and Research Institute in Dinajpur; ensuring safe internet use for children, adolescents and secondary-level students; improvement of traffic infrastructure and road safety in Dhaka North City Corporation (first revision); expansion and modernisation of the Dhaka Central Drug Addiction Treatment Centre (first revision); and procurement of modern vehicles and equipment to improve waste management in Gazipur City Corporation.
Ministers, advisers to the prime minister, and state ministers concerned attended the meeting, while Planning Commission members and secretaries concerned were present.