✅ Mineral Resources of Bangladesh: Updated Status & Future Prospects (2025)

 

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✅ Mineral Resources of Bangladesh: Updated Status & Future Prospects (2025)

Writer: Niaz Murshed Chowdhury

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1️⃣ Crude Oil

Bangladesh’s only oilfield is at Haripur, discovered in 1986 in the Sylhet district near the eastern hills. It remains Bangladesh’s single onshore crude oil discovery to date.

• Estimated reserves: ~40 million barrels

• Recoverable reserves: ~6 million barrels

• Due to small size and technical challenges, Haripur’s full development has not progressed significantly.

Bangladesh’s domestic crude covers only a fraction of national demand. The country imports ~1.3 million metric tons of crude oil each year, which is refined at the Eastern Refinery Limited (ERL) in Chittagong. Another 2.7–3 million metric tons of refined petroleum products are directly imported for transport, industry, agriculture, and backup power.

Key source: BPC Annual Reports 2023–2024

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2️⃣ Coal: Bangladesh’s Untapped “Black Diamond”

Coal was first discovered in 1959 by the Geological Survey of Pakistan in Dinajpur. Further exploration by the Geological Survey of Bangladesh (GSB) and international partners revealed five significant coalfields in the northwest region:

Coalfield	District	Depth (m)	Estimated Reserve (Million Tons)
Jamalganj	Joypurhat	640–1,158	1,053
Barapukuria	Dinajpur	118–509	~300
Phulbari	Dinajpur	150–250	~572
Khalashpir	Rangpur	257–483	~143
Dighipara	Dinajpur	328–408	~150

Total estimated reserves: ~3.3 billion tons.
Currently developed: Only Barapukuria is under active mining, producing about 1 million tons per year, which fuels the adjacent 250–300 MW coal power plant (Barapukuria Coal Power Plant).

Future development:

• Phulbari is planned for open-pit mining. The license transferred to Asia Energy Corporation (GCM Resources) is still subject to local resistance and policy review.

• Jamalganj is too deep for conventional mining — exploration of Coal Bed Methane (CBM) is under study. The government is revising CBM policy to allow future extraction.

Imported coal from India, Indonesia, and China remains dominant for brick kilns and small industrial boilers.

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3️⃣ White Clay (Kaolin)

White clay, or kaolin, is a key raw material for Bangladesh’s growing ceramics and sanitaryware industry.

• Key locations: Netrokona (Bijoypur, Gopalpur), Sherpur (Nalitabari), Chittagong (Haidgaon, Baitul Izzat), and Dinajpur (Maddhyapara, Barapukuria, Dighipara).

• Surface deposits are more common in Netrokona and Sherpur; deeper layers exist in Dinajpur.

Bangladesh’s local clay generally needs to be blended with high-grade imported clay to meet export-quality standards for ceramic tiles, porcelain, and sanitary fittings. Domestic consumption has surged due to rapid urban housing growth.

Reference: GSB, Bangladesh Ceramic Manufacturers Association (BCMA)

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4️⃣ Glass Sand

Glass sand reserves are vital for producing glass sheets, bottles, tableware, and advanced uses like fiberglass and silicon chips.

Deposit Location	Estimated Reserve (Million Tons)
Barapukuria	90.0
Maddhyapara	17.25
Shahjibazar	1.41
Balijuri	0.64
Chauddagram (Comilla)	0.29
Total	~109.6

Glass sand is mostly fine to medium-grain quartz. While shallow deposits are easier to mine (Balijuri, Shahjibazar), deeper deposits like Maddhyapara and Barapukuria are linked to broader hard rock mining projects.

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5️⃣ Limestone

Limestone is the main raw material for Bangladesh’s cement industry — a key sector supporting mega infrastructure projects like bridges and expressways.

Key deposits:

• Takerghat, Lalghat, Bangli Bazar (Sylhet/Sunamganj)

• Joypurhat (northwest)

• Small deposits at Jahanpur & Paranagar (Naogaon)

• St. Martin’s Island (minor)

Deposit	Depth (m)	Estimated Reserve (Million Tons)
Takerghat (Sylhet)	Surface	~12–13
Joypurhat	515–541	~100
Paranagar/Jahanpur	~500	~20

Today, the Takerghat quarry still supplies raw limestone to Chhatak Cement Factory, but high-grade cement producers mostly rely on imported clinker.

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6️⃣ Heavy Mineral Beach Sands

The coastal belt and offshore islands contain valuable heavy minerals:

• Ilmenite, rutile, and leucoxene (titanium minerals used for pigments, welding rods, aerospace parts).

• Zircon, monazite (source of zirconium, rare earth elements, and nuclear fuel).

• Garnet, kyanite, magnetite (abrasives, refractory bricks).

Key beaches: Cox’s Bazar, Teknaf, Moheshkhali, Kutubdia, Kuakata, Nijhum Dwip, Monpura.

Approximate combined reserves exceed 1.7 million tons of heavy minerals. Exploration licenses for large-scale extraction are under consideration with international investors.

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7️⃣ Peat

Peat is an alternative local fuel in swampy delta regions:

• Major deposits: Gopalganj, Faridpur, Khulna, Sunamganj

• Total dry peat reserves: ~170 million tons

Peat could be used for household fuel and small power plants. Pilot briquetting projects by Petrobangla have faced technical and economic barriers — high moisture and extraction cost remain major obstacles.

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8️⃣ Hard Rock

Bangladesh has limited hard rock deposits compared to India or Nepal, but Maddhyapara Hard Rock Mine in Dinajpur remains a significant source of granite for:

• Roads, highways, and railway beds

• Riverbank protection

• Heavy construction

• Mosaic stones

Annual recoverable capacity: 1.65 million tons. The mine extends into Rangpur and parts of Parbatipur.

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9️⃣ Gravel Deposits

Natural river-borne gravels are found mainly in:

• Northern piedmont (Tetulia, Lalmonirhat, Panchagarh)

• Sylhet, Chittagong Hill Tracts

These gravels are used for roads, bridges, railway beds, river training, and flood control. Estimated total reserve: ~10 million cubic meters.

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🔑 Other Key Nonmetallic & Metallic Prospects

• Metallic traces: GSB’s surveys in the northwest found minor copper, lead, and zinc traces (chalcopyrite, galena, sphalerite) — not yet commercially viable.

• Construction sand: Widely available in riverbeds nationwide.

• Brick clay: Abundant in the Dhaka basin — key for brick kilns feeding the construction boom.

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📌 Updated Reserve Table (Approx.)

Mineral	Estimated Reserve	Key Districts
Coal	3.3 billion tons	Dinajpur, Joypurhat, Rangpur
Oil	40 million barrels	Sylhet
Peat	~170 million tons	Faridpur, Khulna, Gopalganj
Limestone	~140 million tons	Sylhet, Joypurhat, Naogaon
Glass sand	~110 million tons	Sylhet, Comilla, Dinajpur
White clay	Not fully quantified	Netrokona, Dinajpur
Hard rock	115 million tons	Dinajpur
Gravel	~10 million cubic meters	North Bengal, Sylhet
Beach sand minerals	1.7+ million tons	Coastal belt

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✅ Outlook & Policy Needs

To unlock its mineral potential, Bangladesh must:

• Modernize mining laws for large-scale open-pit and deep mining.

• Incentivize CBM extraction from deep coal seams like Jamalganj.

• Expand environmentally sound mining with local benefit sharing.

• Invest in processing plants for ceramic clay and glass sand.

• Build robust export value chains for heavy mineral sands.

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📚 References

• Geological Survey of Bangladesh (GSB) Annual Reports 2022–2024.

• Petrobangla Annual Data, 2024.

• BPC and BAPEX reports, 2023.

• Asian Mining Year Book, 7th Ed.

• International Energy Agency Southeast Asia Outlook, 2023.

• Bangladesh Ministry of Power, Energy & Mineral Resources (MPMR) 2024 policy briefs.

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