India?s crude oil production is likely to jump by 11 per cent this fiscal to touch the highest-ever mark of 36.7 million tonnes, mostly on the back of output from Cairn India?s prolific Rajasthan oil field, Petroleum Minister Murli Deora said today.
Addressing the Economic Editors Conference here, he said crude oil production will rise to 36.708 million tonnes in 2009-10 fiscal from 33.5 million tonnes a year ago.
?It is also projected that the production of natural gas during the current financial year should reach 50.211 billion cubic meters, which is 52.8 per cent higher than 32.874 bcm of the previous year,? the minister said.
Cairn, which began crude oil production from the Barmer district field on August 29, is currently producing about 10,000 barrels per day of oil and peak output of 8.75 million tonnes is envisaged in 2012.
The increase of about 3.2 million tonnes in crude oil production in 2009-10 is from Rajasthan (2.4 million tonnes) and Reliance Industries? KG deep water field (0.8 million tonnes). Gas output is higher because of RIL?s KG D-6 fields that is currently producing around 45 million standard cubic meters per day.
?This has been a landmark year for additional production of oil and gas,? he said.