Cairn India gets nod for drilling on Rajasthan block
After protracted delays, Cairn India has won approval to drill exploration wells on the prolific Rajasthan block that will help it boost output to 215,000 barrels per day by March 2014.
A block oversight committee, headed by the Directorate General of Hydrocarbons (DGH), on February 14 allowed the company to drill its first exploration well on Rajasthan block in more than five years, sources said.
Cairn, which started production from Mangala oilfield -- the biggest of the 25 oil and gas finds in the Barmer dessert block in Rajasthan -- in August-end 2009, is produces around 170,000 barrels a day from the block.
It has plans to end the 2013-14 financial year with 200,000 to 215,000 bpd output and further exploration in the block is key to adding more reserves.
The proposal to allow exploration in a producing field was pending with the Oil Ministry for more than one and a half years. Only last month the ministry allowed firms like Cairn to drill probe wells within an oil and gas field, but with the condition that cost recovery of such wells would be allowed only in case there is a commercially exploitable discovery.
Sources said the so-called Management Committee had previously asked Cairn to detail its exploration campaign in form a work programme with requisite approval of a panel comprising of its partner Oil and Natural Gas Corp (ONGC).
The MC on February 14 approved that work programme and Cairn will now drill the first exploration well on Rajasthan block by this month.
In all, Cairn
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