ONGC has second deepwater gas find off India

March 14, 2005
India's state Oil & Natural Gas Corp. Ltd. is testing a second deepwater gas discovery in the Krishna-Godavari basin.

By OGJ editors

HOUSTON, Mar. 14 -- India's state Oil & Natural Gas Corp. Ltd. is testing a second deepwater gas discovery in the Krishna-Godavari basin.

The well at location VA-1A on Block KG-OS-DW-IV cut 42 m of gas pay in multiple levels of gas-bearing sands at 1,962-2,182 m on a 9 sq km structure. Log evaluation and wireline tests confirmed the presence of gas. TD is 2,449 m.

The Discoverer Seven Seas drillship drilled the well, which targeted a channel levee complex, in 553 m of water 30 km off Amalapuram and 75 km from Kakinada. ONGC is operator of the pre-NELP block with 100% interest.

ONGC said its Sagar Vijay drillship made an earlier gas discovery at the G-4 location in 2003. This well, drilled to 2,672 m in 428 m of water, cut 56 m of Pliocene pay at 1,650-2,133 m.

The company said it will produce the finds through integrated development with the nearby GS-29, G-1, and GS-15 structures. Gas is to flow from G-1 and GS-15, India's first deepwater development, in 2006 at 70 MMcfd.

ONGC also said it concluded a deal with Cairn Energy PLC, London, to acquire 90% equity and operatorship in adjacent Block KG-DWN-98/2.

"The drilled and potential resources in these blocks namely KG-OS-DW-IV, KG-DWN-98/2, and I-G are estimated to be around 4 tcf," ONGC said. By comparison, India has 10 tcf recoverable in the Bassein fields found off Mumbai in 1976 and 3.4 tcf in Gandhar field, the country's largest onshore gas find, discovered in 1983 in the Cambay basin.

ONGC noted it is operating three deepwater drillships on prospects in the Krishna-Godavari basin.

The company will soon spud the first well in extremely shallow water at Sunderbans, the combined deltas of the Ganges, Brahmaputra, and Meghna rivers, off West Bengal using a customized rig.