Megha Engineering hands over indigenously built oil rigs to ONGC

Megha Engineering and Infrastructure (MEIL) handed over an indigenously built oil and gas rig to Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) on Thursday. This is part of a Rs 6,000 crore tender bagged by MEIL in 2019 to supply 47 rigs to ONGC.

ONGC’s order of 47 rigs to MEIL comprises 20 workover rigs and 27 land drilling rigs.

According to MEIL officials, the first such rig was handed over in April while the second rig was delivered on Thursday. By March 2022, it is going to deliver 23 rigs to ONGC. At present, 14 rigs are in transportation to different locations across the country.

To aid the development of these rigs MEIL had bought out an Italian company, Drill Mac, in January 2019. “These automated rigs are using advanced hydraulic technology acquired from the takeover of Drill Mac,” the MEIL officials added.

“Until recently, India was mostly dependent on oil and fuel extraction rigs imports, but MEIL has significantly boosted domestic rig manufacturing capacity,” said N Krishna Kumar, Head-Oil Rigs Division of MEIL.

This rig is set to begin operations at KLDDH oil well near GGS-IV oil field in Dhamasana village Near Kalol in Gujarat, under ONGC Ahmedabad Asset. “It drills oil wells faster and operates with minimal power. With a capacity of 1,500 HP, the rig can easily drill up to 4,000 metres. The rig is expected to be operational for 40 years,” a MEIL statement said.

“The indigenous component level in the advanced rigs is 50 per cent at present, and will be increased to 90 per cent over time,” the statement added.

MEIL said it will manufacture and deliver the rigs to ONGC Assets in Assam (Shib Sagar, Jorhat), Andhra Pradesh (Rajahmundry), Gujarat (Ahmedabad, Ankleshwar, Mehsana and Cambay), Tripura (Agartala) and Tamil Nadu (Karaikal).