Production of natural gas from the KG D6 block, which has yielded major discoveries offshore eastern India, will continue a decline that has elicited calls from authorities for more drilling, according Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas Shri S. Jaipal Reddy.
Block operator Reliance Industries Ltd. has blamed reservoir complexity and natural declines for the production drop (OGJ Online, Jan. 20, 2012).
In response to an inquiry from the Rajya Sabha, India’s upper house of Parliament, Reddy said KG D6 fields produced about 36 million standard cu m/day of gas in January, down from an average of 55.35 million cu m/day in the 2010-11 fiscal year.
“The availability of gas from KG D6 is expected to continuously decline in 2012-13 and 2013-14,” Reddy said.
The Directorate General of Hydrocarbons has pressured RIL to increase drilling to shore up production.
BP PLC last year formed a joint venture with RIL with the purchase of 30% interests in 21 blocks in India, including KG D6.
