Oil minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Wednesday launched the national seismic programme to carry out assessment of unappraised areas across the country for potential oil and natural gas reserves.
The massive 2D seismic survey, which will cost the government more than Rs 5,000 crore, has been launched here on Mahanadi basin (onshore) in Odisha.
“Our government’s is giving a lot of focus to hydrocarbon data. ” Pradhan said at the launch at Tarang village. As much as 48% of the Indian sedimentary basin remains unappraised, and there has been no major finding in new sediments in the last 25 years, he added.
ONGC will carry out the national seismic programme (NSP) in most parts of the country while Oil India Ltd will undertake the project in northeastern states. NSP will cover an estimated 48,243 line kilometre, covering 26 sedimentary basins divided into 11 units.
“In addition to the national seismic programme, we are carrying out a reassessment of hydrocarbon data of existing sedimentary basins. The third big thing is the single platform where all the data is being brought together, or the national data repository, which we will be dedicating to the nation very soon,” the minister said.
On Wednesday, ONGC began the survey work on the Mahanadi basin (onland).
Pradhan said he was hopeful the survey work would eventually lead to enhanced exploration and production (E&P) activities in Odisha. “Work on such surveys in these parts in the 80s had even resulted in some evidence of onland gas findings,” he said.
The presence of gas has been established about 30 km offshore of Dhamra in a discovery by Reliance in the past. In fact ONGC has sought time from the government to pursue further exploration at two deep water blocks that the company hasn’t surrendered, said senior officials present.
ONGC CMD Dinesh K Saraf and Odisha steel and mines minister Prafulla Kumar Mallik were among those present.
ONGC, which has already begun survey in Saurashtra, aims to have three-fourths of the total area in the country to be appraised by 2020.
In Odisha the survey will be carried out in about 2,500 line kilometres divided into the Bhadrak-Jajpur area and the smaller Chilika Lake area at a cost Rs 79.57 crore. Lorenzo Mauldin Womens Jersey
Share This