ONGC to start drilling in Bengal

Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Ltd is planning to drill seven development wells in the state, setting the stage for the long awaited commercial exploitation of hydrocarbon deposits from the Bengal basin.

A proposal to drill the wells in and around Ashoknagar in North 24-Parganas, the epicentre of the PSU’s exploration activities in Bengal, will be placed before the ONGC board in the next few months. If the field development plan is approved, it will be submitted before the directorate-general of hydrocarbons (DGH) for final approval.

ONGC sees potential to produce 45,000-50,000 cubic meters of natural gas per day from Ashoknagar. “It would take about two years to drill the development wells, which will produce a mix of oil and natural gas. The wells will come up within a radius of two kilometres,” Shyamal Bose, chief general manager of ONGC, said.