GUWAHATI: Security hurdles have hampered the seismic survey that is being conducted by the public sector Oil India Limited (OIL) in the Northeastern states under the National Seismic Programme (NSP) to assess untapped areas across the region for potential oil and gas reserves.
“In states like Manipur and Nagaland, security reasons are interfering with the survey,” the OIL CMD Utpal Borah said here on Saturday.
He said, “While OIL has been carrying out the NSP in NE region the ONGC has been engaged for the same survey in the rest of India.”
He said, “The work is, however, progressing well in other states like Assam and Arunachal Pradesh; and we are hopeful of meeting our target of its completion by March 2019.”
The NSP, launched in Odisha in October 2016, is meant for carrying out assessment of unexplored areas across the country for potential oil and natural gas reserves, though a 2D seismic survey.
The CMD further said OIL was expecting an increase in its crude oil as well as natural gas production when exploration in the nine blocks it won through the Open Acreage Licensing Policy would begin.
Out of the nine blocks of OIL, seven are in North Eastern region and concentrated in fringe areas of parts where extraction is already going on.
“The existing mining lease we are working in is 60 years old. The exploration areas have reached saturation point. New exploration is bound to increase production and profits,” he added. He informed that OIL has started receiving dividends from its two oil fields in Russia also.
Meanwhile, work on laying a pipeline for providing cooking gas to households in Guwahati and its adjoining areas and main towns of southern Assam will commence shortly. Auction for awarding the gas pipeline in these select cities of Assam has already been completed and the name of winning bidder is expected to be announced shortly.
The CMD said, “OIL has partnered with GAIL and Assam Gas Company Ltd to form a joint venture company and participated in the bidding and we are hopeful that we shall be able to get the work.”
As per the project, pipelines will be laid in Guwahati and its adjoining areas falling under Guwahati metropolitan areas, and Silchar, Hailakandi and Karimganj towns in southern Assam to provide cooking gas to households.
Besides providing cooking gas, under the same project, CNG stations will be set in the select cities.
He further informed that work on the gas pipeline from Barauni to Guwahati, being laid by GAIL to connect North East with the National Gas Grid, has already commenced.
Work on the network of pipelines to connect Guwahati with capitals of all other seven states of NE, including Sikkim, for which a Joint Venture company has been formed by five oil PSUs, including the OIL, would also start soon.