OGDCL announces major oil and gas discovery in Kohat district of KP

The Oil and Gas Development Company Limited (OGDCL) on Thursday announced a major oil and gas discovery from the Nashpa block in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Kohat district, calling it a major addition to Pakistan’s domestic energy resources.

In a statement, OGDCL said successful production was achieved from the Baragzai X-1 exploratory well, producing 4,100 barrels of oil per day and 10.5 million cubic feet of natural gas per day.

The company said the well was drilled to a total depth of 5,170 metres, where a 187 meter hydrocarbon zone was identified in the Datta Formation. A casing drill stem test confirmed the well’s commercial potential, recording production in a 32/64-inch choke with a wellhead flow pressure of 3,880 pounds per square inch.

OGDCL is the operator of the Nashpa exploration license with a working interest of 65%, while Pakistan Petroleum Limited holds 30% and Government Holdings Private Limited holds 5%, a company spokesperson said.

The company said the new discovery will boost OGDCL’s national energy reserves and resource base. He added that the development of local oil and gas resources will help improve the country’s energy supply-demand balance and reduce dependence on costly imports.

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An earlier discovery in the Baragzai X-01 (Slant) exploratory well had already highlighted the potential of the Nashpa block. In December 2025, OGDCL announced that the well produced 2,280 barrels of oil per day and 5.6 million cubic feet of gas per day, marking the first hydrocarbon discovery from the Kingriali formation in the area.

This well, splined on December 24, 2024, was also drilled at a depth of 5,170 meters. Officials said the find helped de-risk deeper exploration and opened up prospects for further discoveries in the area.

Pakistan has long been considered to have potential in tight and shale gas, which are trapped in rock formations and require specialized drilling techniques. However, large-scale commercial production has yet to be demonstrated.

OGDCL’s renewed push comes after US President Donald Trump said Pakistan had “huge” oil reserves, a claim analysts said lacked reliable geological evidence.

The company is also fast-tracking its shale program, moving from a single test well to a five- to six-well plan in 2026-27. Expected production is estimated at 3 to 4 million standard cubic feet per day per well. If successful, officials said the program could eventually scale to hundreds, or even more than 1,000, wells across the country.