RIL gas output at all-time low, 9th well shut

Output has fallen to all-time low of 15.5 million standard cubic metres per day

Reliance Industries has shut its ninth well on the main gas fields in the eastern offshore KG-D6 block, leading to output plummeting to all-time low of 15.5 million standard cubic metres per day.

RIL on April 2 shut the well A1 on the main producing fields of Dhirubhai-1 and 3 (D1&D3) in Krishna Godavari basin block KG-DWN-98/3 or KG-D6 for "reservoir build-up study," according to a status report of the Directorate General of Hydrocarbons (DGH).

The company has been forced to shut the previous eight wells due to high volumes of water and sand seeping in, which affected production. It had previously shut well B6, the eighth well to be closed on D1&D3, on January 9 and B4, the seventh well, on November 29 last year.

The latest shutting led to the output slipping from D1&D3 to 11.70 mmscmd in the week April 7, the report said. Together with 4.09 mmsmcd from MA oilfield in the same block, the output totalled 15.79 mmscmd in the week.

However, the production has since plummeted further to 15.50 mmscmd this week, the lowest level since D1&D3 started production in April 2009.

RIL has so far drilled 22 wells on D1&D3 fields but has put only 18 on production so far. Half of these wells are now shut.

KG-D6 fields, which began production in April 2009, had hit a peak of 69.43 mmscmd in March 2010 before water and sand ingress shut down of wells after wells.

This peak output comprised of 66.35 mmscmd from D1&D3, the largest of the 18 gas discoveries on the KG-D6 block, and 3.07 mmscmd from MA field, the only oil discovery on the block.

Besides the fall in output from D1&D3, gas production from MA field, which had hit a peak of 6.78 mmscmd in January 2012, too has dropped.

The report said MA field produced about 6,235 barrels per day of oil during the week ended April 7.

Of the 15.79 mmscmd of gas production from KG-D6, 13.50 mmscmd was sold to urea manufacturing fertiliser plants. "No sale was made to power plants during the period," it said.

The remaining 2.29 mmscmd was consumed by LPG manufacturing plants and the pipeline that transports the KG-D6 gas, it said.

RIL, the report said, has projected an output of 15.50 mmscmd in April.

The company has so far made 18 gas and one oil discovery in the Krishna Godavari basin block in Bay of Bengal. While the lone oil find, MA went on stream in September 2008, largest among the gas finds, D1&D3 were put on production in April, 2009.