Russia’s Gazprom and Bangladesh’s Petrobangla ink MoU for strategic cooperation

Russian gas monopoly Gazprom and Bangladesh’s Petrobangla have signed a five-year Memorandum of Understanding for strategic cooperation.
Gazprom Deputy Chairman Vitaly Markelov, who headed a delegation during working visit to Bangladesh on 29 January, signed the memorandum with Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
According to Gazprom, the parties discussed the prospects of cooperation in the energy sector.
Gazprom’s interests in Bangladesh are represented by Gazprom EP International, a specialised company for implementing international projects, including those in the areas of hydrocarbon prospecting, exploration and production, as well as power generation and liquified natural gas (LNG).
Gazprom’s main partner in Bangladesh is Petrobangla, a state-owned corporation engaged in oil, gas and mineral resource-related activities.
In 2012 and 2015, Gazprom EP International and Petrobangla signed the contracts to build exploratory and development wells at a number of gas fields in Bangladesh. In 2017, a contract was signed to construct two prospecting and exploration wells on Bhola Island in the south of Bangladesh.
Since 2012, Gazprom EP International has designed and built 17 appraisal, exploration and development wells at eight fields in Bangladesh. The total flow rate of these wells has reached 7 billion cubic metres of gas per year.