The joint venture of British firm BG Group, Reliance Industries and Oil and Natural Gas Corp (ONGC) has stopped crude oil and natural gas production from the Panna-Mukta fields off the west coast, following a leakage in an under-sea facility.
The field was producing 40,000 barrels of oil per day before July 25 when the leakage in the single buoy mooring (oil evacuation system) was detected and production was stopped, ONGC Director (Offshore) Sudhir Vasudeva told PTI.
?The field is producing almost zero crude oil. Gas production has also been impacted,? he said.
The fields were shut completely from July 29.
Panna-Mukta fields normally produce 5.78 million cubic metres per day which has reduced to almost nil. However, the adjoining Tapti field is producing 9.09 mmscmd.
?Repairs have been hampered by rough weather,? he said declining to give a time frame for resumption of production.
BG Group spokesperson Rajeev Khanna did not take phone calls.
?The divers have now been able to locate the leaking hose but operations have been hampered due to rough weather. A new hose is already at the site and it may take at least couple of days to put it in place,? a source said.
Production may restart as early as end of the week, he added.
State-run GAIL India, which markets the gas produced from the fields, declared a Force Majeaure on July 31 and effected a pro-rata cut on all its customers.
Natural gas from Panna-Mukta and Tapti fields had been steadily declining that the operators have placed on the reservoir. Output has fallen from over 17 mmscmd to 14 mmscmd and after the leakage it has come down to just over 9 mmscmd.