Bikash Bora details ONGCآ’s deepwater oil discovery
Chairman Bikash Bora of ONGC has launched a counter-offensive against critics who accuse the corporation of failing in its mandate to discover new oilfields.
In a revealing interview with the fledgling Pioneer newspaper dated 3rd October, Bora spelt out ONGCs recent discovery in the deep waters of the Krishna Godavari. "In the Krishna Godavari basin at 270 metres we have discovered four zones", he said, "The lowest zone is presently producing 3,500 barrels of oil per day (b/d).
The three remaining zones are producing gas in the range of 250,000m cubic metres a day (cm/d) to 750,000 cm/d. This area is being extended beyond 600 metres and we are reprocessing the seismic data to redefine the geological model".
Bora adds: "One well has also been discovered in Kerala Konkan (west coast of India) at a water depth of 900 metres. Drilling will start at the end of this month (October)".
Bora also confirmed a report first revealed in Petrowatch-India Vol 3/Issue 17 (8--Defence officials say No to ONGC data export) that Indias Ministry of Defence is hindering ONGC efforts to get seismic data process abroad as a consequence of the Kargil war with Pakistan. "The MOD has suggested in a meeting that we avoid getting seismic data processed abroad in the future for security reasons.
India does not have the experience to process seismic data and hence we have to send it abroad to countries like the US, UK and France. We have been asked to set up facilities indigenously but it will take time".
Bora ends: "We have asked the MOD to identify the sensitive areas from where the data would not be sent for processing".