The government has placed special stress on natural gas exploration to ensure the country's future energy security, state minister for energy and mineral resources Nasrul Hamid said on Tuesday.
Steps have been taken to drill some 108 new wells, he said.
The consumption of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) as an alternative to natural gas is being encouraged, he added.
Mr Hamid announced this while speaking as the chief guest at an event organised by Chevron Bangladesh at a hotel in Dhaka.
The government is moving ahead with the target of becoming a developed country, prioritising the advancement of power and energy sector, he said.
Already, some 90 per cent people have been brought under the grid power and 5.20 million people under the solar home systems, according to Mr Hamid.
He also recognised the contribution of Chevron Bangladesh towards the country's development.
Energy secretary Abu Hena Md Rahmatul Munim, Petrobangla chairman Abul Mansur Md Faizullah, US ambassador to Bangladesh Marcia Bernicat, and Chevron Bangladesh's outgoing president Kevin Lyon also spoke on the occasion.
Chevron Bangladesh's newly-appointed president Neil Menzis was introduced at the function.
Prior to this assignment, Mr Menzies was deputy managing director of Chevron's Eurasia Business Unit.
In his new role, Neil will lead Chevron's partnership with the government of Bangladesh to continue providing "reliable" and "affordable" energy to the people of Bangladesh, the global energy giant said in a statement.
Chevron is one of Bangladesh's largest investors, supplying over half of the country's natural gas.
Neil holds a master's degree in Petroleum Engineering and joined Chevron as an engineer in 1998.
During his Chevron career, Neil has held numerous technical and management positions of increasing responsibility.
He served Chevron's global operations in the United States, Kazakhstan, Thailand and the United Kingdom.
Commenting on his appointment, Neil said: "I have come on board at an exciting time for Bangladesh and its energy sector, with our strong business driven by our talented Bangladeshi workforce, and their commitment to world-class performance."
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