ONGC outdoing pvt firms in west coast exploration: official

Public Sector Oil and Gas behemoth ONGC is outdoing the private companies in exploration on the west coast of the country, a top official said here today, adding that in the last fiscal alone, Western Onshore Basin of ONGC achieved nine discoveries.

Talking to PTI on the occasion of 56th foundation day of the company, ONGC Group general Manager- Basin Manager, Western Onshore Basin Prem Ballabh Pandey said, "During the last fiscal, Western Onshore basin achieved nine discoveries which comprised seven new finds and two new pools. Significant among them were Vadtal-1, Vadtal-3 and Aliabet, all located in Gujarat."

Stating that ONGC has formed a joint venture with Gujarat government-controlled GSPC in Cambay basin, Pandey said the corporation considered all the state petroleum companies as its strategic partners.

He also claimed that ONGC's success rate in discoveries in the new fields in Cambay basin was higher than that of private sector companies, due to its vast experience of exploration, highly qualified team of geo-scientists, and use of cutting-edge technologies.

In some cases, ONGC succeeded in the fields abandoned by the private companies, he said.

There is still scope for exploration in the Western Onshore basin, he added.