Petrobangla has drastically reduced the prices of offshore exploration data packages to attract more international companies to Bangladesh’s Offshore Bid Round 2026. Four of the 10 Data Sales Packages (DSPs) have been made completely free, while the prices of the remaining six have been reduced to just $5,000 each.

Energy experts have welcomed the move, saying it could encourage greater participation in offshore oil and gas exploration.

Under the revised pricing, the cost of 2D seismic survey data for blocks SS-4 and SS-9 has been reduced from $508,000 to $5,000. The price of DSP-4 has been cut from $314,600 to $5,000. The package includes 3,150 line kilometres of 2D seismic survey data from Block SS-11 collected in 2016–17.

The price of 3D seismic data covering 305 square kilometres of the same block, collected in 2018, has also been reduced from $152,500 to $5,000. Similarly, the price of 2D seismic data from blocks DS-10 and DS-11, collected in 2011–12, has been slashed from $268,000 to $5,000.

The cost of 3,077 line kilometres of 2D data from blocks DS-11 and SS-7 has been reduced from $307,700 to $5,000.

Several other data packages have been made available free of charge. These include seismic survey data from 1974, information on 11 exploratory wells drilled between 1969 and 2017, and a hydrocarbon habitat study conducted by Welldril (UK) Limited. Data relating to the Kanchan-1X well have also been made free.

Petrobangla Chairman Abdul Mannan said the authority expects lower data prices to increase competition and benefit Bangladesh.

Amjad Hossain, former managing director of Bangladesh Petroleum Exploration and Production Company Limited (BAPEX), welcomed the decision, saying the country should have prioritised gas exploration and production rather than treating data sales as a business objective. He noted that high data prices had discouraged companies from participating.

Industry sources have also alleged that excessive pricing had restricted international participation for years. Questions have been raised about the role of an official in the relevant department, although the allegations have not been independently established.

Under Offshore Bid Round 2026, Bangladesh has invited international bids for 15 deep-sea and 11 shallow-sea blocks. The deadline for submitting bids has been extended by four months to March 31, 2027. Petrobangla said three companies, including Turkish Petroleum Corporation (TPAO) and China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC), have already purchased bidding documents.

In March 2024, seven multinational companies purchased bidding documents but ultimately refrained from submitting bids, leading to the cancellation of that round. The government later finalised Model Production Sharing Contract (PSC) 2026 with several concessions, including changes to gas pricing terms.

Bangladesh gained sovereign rights over a maritime area of more than 118,813 square kilometres following the resolution of maritime boundary disputes with Myanmar in 2012 and India in 2014. However, prolonged delays in offshore exploration have prevented the country from fully exploiting its potential.

Meanwhile, domestic gas production has declined while demand continues to rise, worsening shortages for industries and other consumers.

Maqbul E. Elahi Chowdhury, head of the committee that formulated Model PSC 2008, told that some data packages had been priced close to a million dollars, whereas similar information is provided free of charge in other countries. He said Bangladesh had made such data available openly in 1974, when more companies participated in exploration activities, and questioned why the prices had subsequently been set so high.