India to assess 26 sedimentary basins in 30 months

Jan. 21, 2014
India plans to assess all 26 sedimentary basins covering 3.14 million sq km in the next 30 months, according to the government’s press information bureau.

India plans to assess all 26 sedimentary basins covering 3.14 million sq km in the next 30 months, according to the government’s press information bureau.

The last exercise was carried out in 15 basins about 20 years ago. A full-scale revision is warranted because of the vast amount of data collected since then. There also is an urgent need for estimation in the 11 other basins as no hydrocarbon resources have been estimated thus far.

M. Veerappa Moily, minister of petroleum and natural gas, approved creation of a multiorganization team for the task. The Keshav Dev Malviya Institute of Petroleum Engineering (KDMIPE) will act as leader. The director of exploration of Oil & Natural Gas Corp. (ONGC) will serve as chairman and the director of exploration and development of Oil India Ltd. (OIL) co-chairman.

Work teams will prioritize and draw timelines for the completion schedule for each basin. Comprehensive documentation in the form of reports and maps will be generated. Manpower will be drawn from KDMIPE, ONGC, OIL, and professional bodies and consultants.