CHENNAI: ONGC on Tuesday submitted proposal for two new hydrocarbon projects to Union Environment ministry, wherein it envisages to drill 44 onshore wells in five districts of Tamil Nadu and Puducherry. Cauvery basin districts – Cuddalore, Nagapattinam, Ramanathapuram, Sivaganga and Karaikal – are likely to witness hectic activity in the coming days. A formal application seeking Terms of Reference (ToR) for impact assessment studies to get environmental clearance has been submitted by M Giridhar, Chief General Manager (Geology) of Block-1 Cauvery Basin, ONGC.
Express accessed documents pertaining to one hydrocarbon project proposed in Cuddalore, Nagapattinam and Karaikal. Under this project, 20 wells will be drilled, of which 15 will be in Nagapattinam. ONGC officials said the demand for petroleum products is increasing rapidly. Hence, there is an urgent need to boost exploration efforts to increase production and subsequently to reduce import from Gulf countries.
Documents reveal that drilling will be temporary for 90-120 days for each well in the block. Once drilling is completed and if there are sufficient indications of hydrocarbons, the well will be tested by perforation in production casing. This normally takes two-three days. If the well is found to be a successful hydrocarbon bearing structure, it is sealed off for production of oil and gas.
Fragile Cauvery basin is witnessing a spurt in exploration and production (E&P) activities in the recent past with Petroleum and Natural Gas ministry steering a plethora of reforms. Hydrocarbon Exploration and Licensing Policy (HELP) and Open Acreage Licensing Programme (OALP) along with National Data Repository (NDR) are the key drivers to accelerate E&P in India.
Proposal for 489 wells this year
This year alone, proposals for drilling 489 hydrocarbon wells in Tamil Nadu were made. Of these, ONGC accounts for 215 wells and Cairn Oil and Gas 274 wells