Tarun Kapoor flags off gas production from ONGC’s U1B well in KG-DWN 98/2 block

• The gas well, located in KG-DWN 98/2 Block Cluster-2, has an estimated peak production of 1.2 million MMSCMD
• It is the deepest well of the cluster and is expected to improve India's natural gas production substantially

New Delhi: Petroleum Secretary Tarun Kapoor has flagged off production from the deep-water gas well U1B of Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) on Tuesday. The gas well, located in KG-DWN 98/2 Block Cluster-2, has an estimated peak production of 1.2 million metric standard cubic meters per day (MMSCMD). It is the deepest well of the cluster and is expected to improve India's natural gas production substantially. While stressing that there is a lot of potential in deep-water wells, the Petroleum Secretary said that the monetisation of the U1B gas well in the KG Basin holds special national significance as the government has prioritised enhancement of domestic production and reduction of oil and gas imports. 

Hope to see monetisation of more such wells by ONGC: Secretary

"We look forward to production enhancement, especially from ONGC, and hope for monetisation of many more such wells in the near future," said Kapoor. Dedicating the gas well to the nation, the Petroleum Secretary said that the extensive experience of ONGC in exploration and production (E&P) brings confidence in the successful operation of the deep-water gas well.

Additional Petroleum Secretary (Exploration) Amar Nath said that the beginning of commercial production from U1B well of KG-DWN 98/2 block is significant to the whole nation not only in terms of volume, but also in terms of complexity. "With this deep-water gas well, ONGC graduates to a select league of global operators," said Nath.

ONGC's KG-DWN 98/2 Block

ONGC's Cluster-2 fields lie in the deepwater KG-DWN-98/2 Block located off the shore of the Godavari Delta on the east coast of India in water depths ranging from 300 metres to 3,200 metres. The block covers an area of 7294.6 square km of the KG basin. The Maharatna PSU began the production of gas from the Cluster-2 fields in the KG-DWN-98/2 Block earlier this year and invited offers for sale of gas from the block in April.

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