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Guwahati, July 20: In a significant development, a gas discovery has been made in an untested layer in Dirok-1 Well in Margherita.
The well is operated by a joint venture of Hindustan Oil Exploration Company (HOEC), OIL and IOCL.
“We wish to inform that during a workover in Block AAP-ON-94/1 (Dirok), an untested sand interval Sand-9, which was tested in Well Dirok-1, successfully flowed gas. During the test, the initial flow rate with a half-inch choke flowed over 6 million standard cubic feet of gas per day. Further, production testing is in progress," HOEC said in an exchange filing.
This successful test of Sand-9 would add an additional volume to the proven reserves category of the Dirok field.
“Re-estimation of the reserves in Sand-9 would be carried out after due completion of the production test,” the company said.
HOEC holds 26.882 percent participating interest and is the operator of the block, with Oil India Limited and Indian Oil Corporation Ltd as joint venture partners in the production sharing contract executed with the Government of India.
Exploration in the block has established a potential for more than 250 billion cubic feet of gas that could be developed to add significantly to the domestic production of natural gas, and further establish the Northeast region as a significant petroleum province in India.
The plant is currently delivering about 35 million standard cubic feet of gas per day, which represents more than 15 percent of Assam's natural gas production, as well as about 800 barrels of condensate to Asia's oldest refinery in Digboi operated by IOCL.
Recognising the significant resource potential in the Dirok field and the challenges associated with its development, the Dirok joint venture adopted a phased approach to develop the field, with a production target of 75 million standard cubic feet per day.
-By Staff Reporter