High hopes for HOEC and BPRL in Rajasthan
Hindustan Oil Exploration Company (HOEC) and Bharat Petro Resources (BPRL) are gearing up to begin an eight-well exploration programme near India’s tense border with Pakistan.
PETROWATCH learns joint operators HOEC and BPRL last month (January) began interpreting 110-lkm 2D and 1424-sq km blanket 3D shot at their NELP-VII Rajasthan onland block RJ-ONN-2005/1 by Polish contractor Geofyzika Torun. “Data was shot and processed by Geofyzika,” explains a consortium source.
“But we decided to interpret it ourselves.” Separate HOEC and BPRL geologists are interpreting the 2D and 3D but will jointly review results in March to finalise drilling locations by April.
HOEC and BPRL plan two wells to 3000 metres, two to 3500 metres and four to 2000 metres. Exact depths will be finalised after 2D and 3D interpretation.
Drilling won’t be easy. “Defence ministry clearances are required at every step due to the block’s proximity to Pakistan,” says a consortium source.
“Geofyzika had a tough time shooting 3D as it deployed foreign nationals.” HOEC and BPRL want to begin drilling sometime in the next fiscal (2013-14) and began pre-qualifying drillers last December, inviting EoIs for civil construction, wireline and perforation, cementing, drilling and mud chemicals, tubing, casing, wellhead, and X-Mas trees.
“We will issue tenders to hire services by June,” we hear. HOEC and BPRL will soon approach the oil ministry seeking an extension to the four-year exploration Phase-I which ends in November 2013.
“Getting the first extension under ‘excusable delays’ should not be a problem,” adds a consortium source.