ONGC to start oil production from USD 5 bn deep-water project this month
New Delhi (PTI): State-controlled Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) will kick off oil production from its much-delayed flagship deepsea project in Krishna Godavari basin in Bay of Bengal this month, helping reverse years of decline in output, a senior company official said.
"We plan to start producing from the Cluster-2 project in KG-DWN-98/2 block this month and slowly ramp up," ONGC Director (Production) Pankaj Kumar told PTI here.
A floating production unit, called FPSO, which will be used to produce oil, is already in the block. After several missed deadlines, ONGC has told Shapoorji Pallonji Oil & Gas (SPOG) that its floating production, storage and offloading vessel (FPSO) Armada Sterling-V should prepare to receive the first oil this month.
Oil production from Cluster-2 should have begun by November 2021, but was delayed because of the pandemic.
Kumar said ONGC plans to start producing from 3 to 4 wells initially and slowly connect others. "Initial production could be 8,000 to 9,000 barrels per day."
KG deepsea is treacherous terrain and ONGC is mindful of not repeating mistakes of neighbouring KG-D6 block of Reliance Industries.
While gas production is not so complex in the area, sand and water ingress in wells may happen if oil valves are opened too fast. The trick is to drill more wells and produce at the optimal quantities, not rushing in to produce bigger volumes, an official explained.
Kumar said ONGC will ship the first consignment of crude oil to subsidiary Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals Ltd (MRPL).
The crude will be tested and yields will determine its grade and pricing, he said.
ONGC has hired Armada Sterling-V, owned 70 per cent by SPOG and 30 per cent by Malaysia's Bumi Armada, for producing oil from below seabed.
The FPSO has been waiting to receive oil since January 2, 2023, after she was hooked up on December 27, 2022. ONGC previously set May 2023, as the first Cluster-2 oil deadline, extended to August 2023, September 2023, and finally, October 2023.
"These are extremely complex reservoirs and we need to be sure about everything before we start production," Kumar said.
The five M field wells, identified for the initial oil flow, sit in water depths of about 400 meters. Flexible hoses will connect the M field wells to the FPSO. Later, the A and P1 oilfield wells will be connected.
In all, 13 wells yielding oil and oil with associated gas will eventually be connected to Armada Sterling-V. Peak oil of 45,000 barrels per day is expected sometime in 2024-25. At peak, a tanker will berth alongside FPSO every two weeks to transport oil to a refinery where it will be turned into fuels like petrol and diesel.
Kumar said some 2 mmscmd of gas would also flow with oil but actual gas output will start in May 2024, when 7-8 mmscmd production is expected.
For that to happen, contractor McDermott needs to install the much-delayed Control and Process Platform (CPP) with Living Quarters and Upstream Platform (LQUP), which Malaysia's Sapura ENergy is manufacturing.
The giant structure is ready to sail from Malaysia and should be in Indian waters early next year. Gas production would start in the middle of 2024.
The production estimates are, however, much lower than what was originally projected. When the project was conceived in April 2018, ONGC had said the estimated capital expenditure would be USD 5.07 billion and operational expenditure would be USD 5.12 billion over a field life of 16 years.
Kumar said the company hopes to arrest the decline in crude oil production in the next fiscal, while natural gas output is likely to see a rise.
ONGC's KG-DWN-98/2 or KG-D5 block, which sits next to Reliance Industries' KG-D6 block in the KG basin, has a number of discoveries that have been clubbed into clusters.
It is situated offshore the Godavari river delta in the Bay of Bengal. It is located 35-km off the coast of Andhra Pradesh in water depths ranging from 300-3,200 metres. The discoveries in the block are divided into three clusters -- Cluster-1, 2 and 3. Cluster 2 is being put to production first.
The Cluster 2 field is divided into two blocks namely 2A and 2B, which as per the original investment decision were expected to produce 23.52 million metric tonnes of oil and 50.70 billion cubic metres (bcm) of gas over the life of the field.
Cluster 2A was estimated to contain reserves of 94.26 million tonnes of crude oil and 21.75 bcm of associated gas, while Cluster 2B is estimated to host 51.98 bcm of gas reserves.
Cluster 2A was anticipated to produce 77,305 barrels of oil per day (bopd) and associated gas at a rate of 3.81 million metric standard cubic metres per day (mmscmd) over 15 years.
Cluster 2B is expected to produce free gas of 12.75 mmscmd from eight wells and has a 16-year life. But now the output estimate is lower - 45,000 bpd of oil and up to 2.5 mmscmd from Cluster 2A and around 9 mmscmd from Cluster 2B.
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London, Nov 22: A bomb disposal squad deployed as a “precaution” to the South Terminal of Gatwick Airport concluded an investigation into a "security incident" on Friday after making a “suspect package” safe.
The South Terminal of Gatwick Airport, the UK's second busiest airport after Heathrow, which was briefly shut owing to the incident reopened following the incident.
The Gatwick is around 45 km south of London.
Two people detained during the enquiries have since been allowed to continue their journey as the airport was opened.
“Police have concluded their investigation into a report of a suspect package at Gatwick Airport. Officers from the EOD (Explosive Ordnance Disposal) team made the package safe, and the airport has been handed back to its operator,” Sussex Police said in an updated statement.
“Two people detained while enquiries were ongoing have subsequently been allowed to continue their journeys. There will remain an increased police presence in the area to assist with passengers accessing the South Terminal for onward travel,” the statement added.
Earlier on Friday, the incident caused severe disruption at the busy airport’s South Terminal, while the North Terminal of Gatwick Airport remained unaffected.
“Police were called to the South Terminal at Gatwick Airport at 8.20 am on Friday (November 22) following the discovery of a suspected prohibited item in luggage,” a Sussex Police statement said.
“To ensure the safety of the public, staff and other airport users, a security cordon has been put in place whilst the matter is dealt with. As a precaution, an EOD (Explosive Ordnance Disposal) team is being deployed to the airport. This is causing significant disruption and some roads around the South Terminal have been closed. We’d advise the public to avoid the area where possible,” it said.
Footage on social media taken outside the airport showed crowds of frustrated travellers being moved away from the terminal building.
Gatwick said it was working hard to resolve the issue.
“A large part of the South Terminal has been evacuated as a precaution while we continue to investigate a security incident," the airport said in a social media post.
“Passengers will not be able to enter the South Terminal while this is ongoing. The safety and security of our passengers and staff remain our top priority. We are working hard to resolve the issue as quickly as possible.”
Train and bus services that serve the airport were also impacted while the police carried out their inquiries.
In an unrelated incident in south London on Friday morning, the US Embassy area in Nine Elms by the River Thames was the scene of a controlled explosion by Scotland Yard dealing with what they believe may have been a “hoax device”.
“We can confirm the 'loud bang' reported in the area a short time ago was a controlled explosion carried out by officers,” the Metropolitan Police said in a post on X.
“Initial indications are that the item was a hoax device. An investigation will now follow. Some cordons will remain in place for the time being but the majority of the police response will now be stood down,” it added.
