Surkhet, Feb. 12 -- A total of 80.7 billion cubic metres of natural gas has been confirmed at Jaljale in ward 1 of Bhairavi Rural Municipality, Dailekh, according to a report submitted by the China Geological Survey to the Department of Mines and Geology.

The department said well testing is required before moving towards commercial production. Well testing is a process that evaluates the quantity, quality, and flow characteristics of gas or oil in a reservoir to determine its commercial viability before full-scale production.

An earlier preliminary report had estimated reserves of up to 112 billion cubic metres. Dharmaraj Khadka, spokesperson for the department, said a significant volume of methane gas has been identified, but further t...