AGARTALA, April 21 - ONGC�s Tripura Asset Manager GK Singha Ray is hopeful of setting up medium and small scale industries based on natural gas in Tripura to address the unemployment problem.
�The ONGC carried out an extensive exploration drive at Khubal (in north Tripura) in search of gas, but it is not as promising as earlier anticipated,� Ray said while speaking to media persons here today.
The ONGC official said that five out of six wells went dry despite the best efforts. �We carried out a reassessment on the basis of 3D study inputs and sent the report to the Director General of Hydrocarbons (DGH) for taking up an action plan. The ONGC will continue the drive to extract the best out of the potential,� Ray added.
�There is possibility of setting up small and medium scale industries based on gas availability at Khubal and we are in talks with various firms to set up gas-based industrial units there,� he said.
The ONGC Asset Manager said gas pools in Tripura are like zigzag rivers unlike in other parts of the country. �These gas pools change their course very often and that is why even geoseismic studies cannot pinpoint the exact location of a gas field. Of course we will do whatever we can to extract gas after getting the green signal from the DGH. The size of the gas field in Tripura is small as the State�s geographical area is small,� Ray pointed out.
The ONGC is set to start gas supply from the Trishna exploration site by July 2019 as the ONGC needs to increase its gas supply capacity. �Earlier, it was planned to extract gas by 2022 after getting the environmental clearance from the Centre and laying a long-distance gas pipe line. Based on the ground reality, we have redesigned the plan and shortened the pipeline from Trishna to the Palatana power plant to only 8 km. We are hopeful of meeting the target of gas supply to the OTPC by July next year,� Ray said.
He admitted that there was a gap between demand and supply of natural gas to the power plants. �It is true we cut down gas supply to our customers due to unforeseen developments. The gas supply capacity of wells in the Barmura region, which were discovered in 1986, has been declining alarmingly. Normally, the decline rate is only nine per cent; but here it is around 19 per cent leading to a drastic reduction of gas,� he said.
