The drilling for petroleum exploration in the Jaljale area of Bhairavi Rural Municipality-1 in Dailekh district has reached nearly 79% completion, a significant milestone in Nepal's bid for energy independence. This high-priority project, funded by a Rs 2.5 billion grant from the Chinese government, aims to reduce Nepal’s dependence on imported fuel by identifying domestic petroleum resources. Led by the Department of Mines and Geology in partnership with the China Geological Survey and Sibu Drilling Engineering Company, the project plans to drill to a target depth of 4,500 meters to determine the presence and volume of petroleum and natural gas deposits.

According to the state-run national news agency RSS, chief of the Petroleum Project Division under the Department of Mines and Geology Ganesh Nath Tripathi confirmed that 79 percent of the drilling work has been completed so far.    

Once the drilling reaches the 4,500-meter mark, geologists expect to have a clearer assessment of Nepal’s petroleum potential, helping chart the country’s course toward self-sufficiency in energy.

“It can be ascertained whether or not there is adequate stock of petroleum products only after drilling up to a depth of at least 4,000 meters,” RSS quoted Tripathi as saying.

The project was expected to complete the drilling phase before October this year, but the work has been delayed due to technical challenges. The drilling site, established six years ago under a Nepal-China cooperation agreement, involved acquiring 45 ropanis of land (about 2.47 hectares) and compensating 27 local families at the rate of Rs 175,000 per ropani.

During a recent on-site inspection, Karnali Province Chief Minister Yamlal Kandel reviewed the progress and received updates on the project, RSS further reported.