Agartala, March 16 (IANS): State-owned exploration major Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) has established a significant gas discovery in the northeastern State of Tripura, officials said here on Tuesday.
"The fresh discovery of gas was established after the drilling of a well up to a depth of 3,515 metres. On testing, one of its sand zone flowed gas at the rate of 113,400 cubic meter per day, through 8 mm bean," an ONGC spokesman told reporters.
The breakthrough of natural gas at Amtali, 15 km south of Tripura capital Agartala, has been notified to Directorate General of Hydrocarbons, the upstream regulator of hydrocarbons, he added.
An ONGC release said the success of this new gas bearing well has opened up the intervening low area between Agartala and Konaban gas drilling structures, and also gives impetus to exploration of more such areas on the flanks of major structures in Tripura fold belt.
"This latest discovery of gas would go a long way as far as ONGC's target of 6 million cubic meter per day of gas production for fuelling the newly formed ONGC-Tripura Power Gas Company 726 mw thermal power project is concerned," the release said, quoting company's Chairman and Managing Director A.K. Hazarika.
"This discovery of new hydrocarbon would help in meeting additional gas requirements for the under commissioning of the 726 MW capacity mega power project in south Tripura's Palatana," the spokesman said.
ONGC's biggest commercial thermal power project is to be commissioned at Palatana, about 60 km south of here, and the first unit is expected to be operational by 2012.
Since 1972, ONGC has drilled 150 wells in Tripura -- of these, 74, including the latest one, are yielding gas. The oil and gas exploration company has so far invested Rs.31 billion in the state.
Tripura has perhaps the world's highest success rate when it comes to yielding natural gas. "We are striking gas in one out of every two wells drilled in Tripura, while the average ratio worldwide is one out of every three wells," said the official.