Reliance Industries to drill a well in D-19

The satellite fields are key to RIL reversing the flagging output from the KG-D6 block.

The company had in July, 2008, submitted a FDP to exploit reserves of 1,708 billion cubic feet (bcf) in nine satellite gas discoveries (D-2, D-4, D-6, D-7, D-8, D-16, D- 19, D-22 and D-23) in the D6 block at an estimated capex of USD 5.91 billion. This, the DGH found, was not techno-economically viable.

Thereafter, RIL submitted OPDPF for four satellite (D-2, 6, 9 and 22) gas discoveries on December 19, 2009. A peak gas production rate of 10.30 mmscmd is envisaged from the four where recoverable reserves are estimated at 617 billion cubic meters out of an inplace reserves of 1.343 tcf.

DGH said the OFDP was approved by the KG-D6 block oversight panel, called the Management Committee on January 3 this year.

This envisages commencement of gas supply from mid-2016, it added.

RIL's proposal to invest up to USD 2.338 billion to produce about 15 mmscmd of gas from D-24, or the R-Series gas field in the same block is also pending approval. The field has gross in-place gas reserves of 1.64 tcf.