Oil and Natural Gas Corporation of India (ONGC) signed an agreement with Engineers India Ltd on Monday to set up a helium recovery demonstration plant at ONGC’s gas collection station in Cauvery Asset, Tamil Nadu.
In a statement, ONGC said that, as part of the agreement, Engineers India will be responsible for designing, engineering, construction, commissioning and performance testing of the helium recovery plant.
The total order value of the project is Rs 39.42 crore and is expected to be completed in 18 months. ONGC said that through this collaboration, the company and Engineers India will execute a first-of-its-kind project in India, reinforcing ONGC’s commitment to Energy Now and Next by integrating cutting-edge research with practical industrial application.
Significance of the project
ONGC’s helium recovery project is based on a technology package jointly developed by CSIR–Indian Institute of Petroleum to recover Grade-A Helium of 99.995 per cent purity from natural gas. Once completed, the facility will process 750 Nm³/hr of natural gas and is designed with flexibility to operate at 110 per cent of the design capacity.
Helium is a critical resource which is used in fields ranging from space exploration, semiconductor manufacturing, fibre optics, to medical technologies. Despite its critical applications, India heavily relies on imports to meet its helium requirements.
ONGC said that setting up an indigenous capability in helium recovery is of strategic importance for the country’s technological advancement and energy security.
ONGC gas production capacity
Oil and Natural Gas Corporation of India’s total natural gas production capacity stood at 4.963 billion cubic metres (BCM) in the Q1 FY26. While the government sector company’s standalone capacity stood at 4.846 BCM, it procured an additional 0.117 BCM of natural gas from joint ventures operated by others.
In FY25, ONGC produced a total of 20.19 BCM of natural gas. The company produced 19.654 BCM in standalone capacity and 0.536 BCM from joint ventures.