No way ONGC can meet LEWPP-I & II targets
If you think ONGC will complete its LEWPP-I and LEWPP-II projects by its self-imposed April 2018 target - think again.
Work is slow, very slow! Take an aborted meeting scheduled for July 5 by ONGC, abruptly canceled at the last minute. Four days earlier ONGC called EPC partners AFCONS, Triune Engineering, Nauvata Engineering and Halani Offshore to Mumbai for a meeting.
But a source reports the meeting has been postponed till this week, "because of the non-availability of senior AFCONS people" and that a new date hasn't been fixed yet. Another source says consortium partners were told by ONGC to submit a 'Project Plan Document' during the meeting, setting clear project milestones.
"Eighteen months after ONGC awarded the (LEWPP-I) contract (in January 2016) they have not even discussed the project plan," he says. "Do you honestly think they can complete work by April (2018)?" Under LEWPP-I, ONGC wants to extend the life of 20 (six small and 14 large) ageing platforms at Mumbai High for $160.46m.
"A window (from October 2016 to May 2017) was wasted because of a quarrel between (EPC) partners," we hear. "Work was done only on three large platforms against the target of nine (three major plus six minor)." An AFCONS source admits the consortium failed to meet last season's target.
"We're hoping we can meet the 2018 deadline," he says. "But there might be some overspill."