India's crude output rises again after six months

For the first time in six months, India's crude oil production rose in December by 1.1 per cent as Reliance Industries and Cairn India helped offset decline in ONGC output.

Crude oil production in December at 2.905 million tonnes was 1.1 per cent higher than 2.874 million tonnes in the same month last year, according to the latest data released by the Petroleum Ministry here.

State-owned Oil and Natural Gas Corp (ONGC) saw 3.2 per cent decline in output to 2.109 million tonnes as its prime Mumbai High reported a 4.8 per cent dip at 1.474 million tonnes in December 2009.

Private producers including Cairn and Reliance pumped 21.5 per cent more crude at 492,000 tonnes, the data showed but did not give individual break-ups.

Reliance's eastern offshore KG-D6 field helped natural gas output rise for the tenth straight month, rising by 57.3 per cent to 4.397 billion cubic metres in December. The company's KG-D6 field, which started production in April 2009, is producing around 60 million standard cubic metres per day.

Seventeen public sector and two private refineries saw 0.9 per cent rise in crude processing at 13.579 million tonnes in December. Reliance's Jamnagar refinery processed 3.089 million tonnes crude or 6.2 per cent more than 2.908 million tonnes crude while Essar Oil saw 9.2 per cent to 1.175 million tonnes.