ONGC Expands Gas Production for North Eastern Power Plants

5 Aug 2024 , 02:12 PM

The Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) has increased operations in Tripura to supply power plants in the northeastern state, according to an official on Monday. The decision comes despite allegations of a decline in gas supplies to the state’s several gas-fired power facilities.

ONGC produced 1,527 million standard cubic metres (MMSCM) of gas in Tripura in fiscal 2023-24, with a goal of 1,675 MMSCM in the current fiscal year.

“ONGC has been attempting to improve gas production so that sufficient gas is delivered to Tripura’s gas-fired power plants. “We have already set a target of extracting 1,675 MMSCM of gas during the current fiscal year (2024-25), while production was 1,527 MMSCM in 2023-24,” ONGC Tripura Asset Manager Krishna Kumar told PTI.

He stated that ONGC will drill up to 20 additional wells for gas exploration in fiscal year 2024-25, with one more rig to be added immediately to support the exploration push. ONGC now operates six rigs to explore natural gas in the northeastern state.

Aside from new exploration, ONGC has begun the process of cluster drilling to collect gas from existing well sites, which already have infrastructure and license for exploration.

“Due to rising urbanisation in Tripura, ONGC is focussing on cluster drilling to extract gas from ancient wells where facilities are already available. In addition, we do not need to get new state approval for gas exploration or extraction at certain locations. There is also no need to purchase land, which has become an expensive endeavour,” he added.

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