Petroleum Secretary flags off production from ONGC deepwater gas well U1B in KG-DWN 98/2, peak 1.2 MMSCMD

New Delhi: Secretary, Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas (MoPNG), Mr. Tarun Kapoor flagged off maiden production from the deep-water gas well U1B of Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Limited (ONGC) on 31 August 2021. The gas well, located in KG-DWN 98/2 Block Cluster – II, has an estimated peak production of 1.2 million metric standard cubic meters per day (MMSCMD). It is the deepest well of the Cluster.

The event was graced by the presence of ONGC CMD Subhash Kumar, Additional Secretary (Exploration) Mr. Amar Nath, Additional Secretary & Financial Advisor Mr. Rajesh Agarwal, ONGC Director (Exploration) Mr. R K Srivastava and ONGC OSD-Offshore Mr. Pankaj Kumar.

Dedicating the gas well to the nation, Mr Kapoor congratulated Team ONGC led by the CMD and lauded the dedication of the Energy Maharatna towards production enhancement of Oil and Gas for the nation. He said that the extensive experience of ONGC in Exploration and Production brings confidence in the successful operation of the deep-water gas well.

Expressing that there is a lot of production potential in deep-water wells, the Petroleum Secretary said this monetization holds special national significance as the first priority of the government is to ensure enhancement of domestic production and reduction of Oil and Gas imports. Mr Kapoor said that we look forward to production enhancement, especially from ONGC, and expressed hope for monetization of many more such wells in the near future.

The ONGC senior officers from Kakinada in Andhra Pradesh presented the technical details of the production from the deep-water well. Speaking on the occasion, Additional Secretary and Financial Advisor Mr. Rajesh Agarwal complimented ONGC for the monetization of the deep-water gas well and said that the dedication of the Energy Soldiers of ONGC has resulted in the achievement. Additional Secretary (Exploration), MoPNG, Mr. Amar Nath said this production is significant to the whole nation not only in terms of volume, but also in terms of complexity; “With this deep-water gas well, ONGC graduates to a select league of global operators”. Expressing gratitude for the continued support of senior Ministry officials, ONGC CMD Subhash Kumar thanked the Ministry, who were instrumental in the run up to the nationally important occasion today.