Great Eastern's 650 well plan for Raniganj
Great Eastern is preparing to launch a 650-well drilling programme at its Raniganj (South) CBM block in West Bengal.
Environmental clearance is expected in the next few months after Great Eastern replied to a string of environment ministry queries on September 20 (2024). Among the queries sent on July 2 (2024) was one about drilling locations near two protected forests: Bihari Nath Parvat and Dandahit.
In its reply, Great Eastern said it acquired the forest land from the state forest department. Another query was about a time-bound action plan for drilling.
Great Eastern replied that the PML has been extended by the West Bengal government for ten years, from September 4 (2028) to September 3 (2038). And that it has also received approval from the oil ministry for the revised FDP.
Great Eastern believes the upcoming pipeline from Jagdishpur to Dhamra, passing through Haldia and Bokaro, will help evacuate additional gas from the 650 new wells. In 2025, the company aims to begin drilling, with 60 wells planned in 2025-26; 80 in 2026-27; another 100 planned in 2027-28; 120 in 2028-29; 140 in 2029-30; and 150 in 2030-31.
Estimated to cost 6500cr ($787m), the Great Eastern's campaign proposes five new Gas Gathering Stations (GGS) to process and compress the CBM and five Central Gas Stations (CGS) for onward distribution to customers. Great Eastern proposes to construct and commission the stations as production ramps up.
Also included in the project cost is laying plastic pipelines to connect the producing wells to the GGS and laying steel pipelines from the GGS to customers. Drilling will take place around the clock.
"The time taken to drill a borehole depends on the depth of the hydrocarbon-bearing formation and the geological conditions," reads an EIA report from Vadodara-based Kadam Environmental Consultants. "Great Eastern intends to drill wells to about 1100 metres depth," says Kadam.
"Eight to ten days will be needed to complete each well."