GAS RESERVES IN RAJASTHAN

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LOK SABHA

Shri Ram Naik, Minister of Petroleum & Natural Gas informed the Lok Sabha in a written reply today that the Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Limited (ONGC) has established six hydrocarbon finds during the year 2002-03. These are Vasai West in Mumbai offshore, GS-KW & GS-49 in Krishna Godavari offshore, Banamali and Laiplingaon in the onland Assam Shelf and Chinnewala Tibba in Jaisalmer basin in Rajasthan onland.

Shri Naik further informed that ONGC has made a new gas find in March, 2003 at Chinnewala Tibba prospect in Jaisalmer district of the State of Rajasthan. A preliminary estimate of 470 Million Cubic Metre of initial gas in-place has been assessed for the above new gas find in Rajasthan.

The Minister further informed the House that Government is taking the following steps in order to explore more areas in the country:-

1. Offering of new areas/exploration blocks for exploration under New Exploration Licensing Policy (NELP). Under NELP, the Government has signed 70 Production Sharing Contracts with various companies in the first three rounds of NELP for exploration of oil and gas. 24 more exploration blocks are on offer under the fourth round of NELP.
2. Under the Tenth Five Year Plan, ONGC envisages acquisition of 35,286 Ground Line Kilometre (GLK)/Line Kilometre (LK) of 2-Dimensional (2-D), 34,834 sq. km. of 3-dimensional (3-D) seismic data and drilling of 561 exploratory wells against which ONGC has already acquired 23,136 GLK/LK of 2-D, 11, 144 sq. Km. of 3-D seismic data and drilled 175 exploratory wells as on 1.7.2003.
3. Under the Tenth Five Year Plan, Oil India Ltd. (OIL) envisages to acquire 7,575 GLK and 2,000 LK of 2-D seismic data in onland and offshore area respectively, 3,070 sq. km. of 3-D seismic data and drilling of 93 exploratory wells, against which as on 1.7.2003, OIL has already acquired 3,052 GLK of 2-D data, 437 sq. km. of 3-D data and drilled 9 exploratory wells.