Despite Covid ONGC hikes Mumbai Offshore output

Despite the lockdown, ONGC has seen some hope at its western offshore fields.

ONGC targeted 250,000 b/d (1.09m tonnes) of oil production in the western offshore for April but hit 252,000 b/d (1.1m tonnes), surpassing the target by 1%, according to figures released by the oil ministry on May 23 (2020). "We faced problems with the crew change and people worked for a record 68 days," says an ONGC source.

"We feared a severe drop in production. Surpassing the target is unexpected."

Elsewhere, the news is not so good. In the eastern offshore, production dropped 24% in April 2020 to 280 b/d (1190 tonnes) compared to 370 b/d (1570 tonnes) in April 2019.

In Andhra Pradesh, production dropped 26% at onshore assets in April 2020 to 3500 b/d (14,530 tonnes) from 4700 b/d (19,650 tonnes) in April 2019. In Gujarat, production dropped 4% in April 2020 to 86,000 b/d (362,150 tonnes) from 90,000 b/d (377,940 tonnes) in April 2019.

In Tamil Nadu, production dropped 4% in April 2020 to 6100 b/d (25,720 tonnes) from 6400 b/d (26,850 tonnes). In Assam, production increased 0.5% to 19,000 b/d (79,620 tonnes) from 18,870 b/d (79,260 tonnes).