Exploration of methane gas from the country’s largest coal deposit at Jamalganj in the northern district of Joypurhat would begin on Tuesday.
Indian West Bengal-based consulting firm Mining Associates Pvt Ltd would begin drilling of first exploration well at Jamalganj coal deposit between 600 metres and 1,100 metres depth, officials said.
Petrobangla, the state-run Oil, Gas and Mineral Resources Corporation, has engaged the firm to conduct the feasibility study, they said.
Mining Associates would drill three wells to examine the potentials and reserve of coal-bed methane. Petrobangla would initiate commercial project for the extraction of coal-bed methane from the Jamalganj deposit if it is found viable in the feasibility report.
Coal-bed methane or coal seam gas is a form of natural gas extracted from coal beds. In recent decades it has become an important source of primary fuel in the United States, Canada, Australia and a few other countries.
State minister for power, energy and mineral resources Nasrul Hamid is scheduled for Tuesday to inaugurate the drilling programmer.
On June 21, Petrobangla signed a contract with Mining Associates to conduct the feasibility of extracting coal-bed methane at a cost of Tk 23.37 crore.
The project would be completed by June 30, 2016, according to the project schedule.
According to the plan, each well would be drilled 1,100 metres depth penetrating all the seven coal seams of the deposits, officials said.
The company would examine the samples in their laboratory facilities in India, they said.
In early 1960s, a UN-Pakistan mineral survey team discovered the Jamalganj deposit with an estimated reserve of about 1,053 million tonnes of coal. It is the deepest and largest coal deposit in Bangladesh.
Four other large coal deposits — Barapukuria with around 300 million tonnes, Phulbari with 400 million tonnes and Khalashpir with 450 million tonnes — are also located in the country’s northern region.