State-owned Bangladesh Petroleum Exploration and Production Company Limited (BAPEX) on Sunday began testing a new gas well in Bhola.

Preliminary estimates indicated a potential daily output of 20 to 25 million cubic feet.

The first Drill Stem Test (DST) of Bhola North-3, the district's 10th gas well, began at 8:20am, BAPEX General Manager (Production) Engineer Ahsanul Amin told BSS.

Located in Jangalia village of Paschim Ilisha in Bhola Sadar upazila, the well has been drilled to a depth of 3,526 metres.

Amin said preliminary observations suggested the well could produce 20–25 million cubic feet of gas per day, although the actual capacity would be determined after analysing gas flow and pressure data from the test.

Perforation work was completed on Saturday, while preliminary pressure tests of the test string and surface flowline produced satisfactory results.

BAPEX first discovered natural gas in Bhola in 1995 at Borhanaganj in Borhanuddin upazila, leading to the development of the Shahbazpur Gas Field.

Since then, nine wells have been drilled across three gas fields in Borhanuddin and Bhola Sadar upazilas.

Bhola North-3 brings the district's total number of gas wells to 10, with the ongoing test expected to determine its commercial production potential.