116 NELP blocks suffered due to delays in statutory clearances: Pradhan

On the progress of revival of sick oil and gas wells, he said, it is a continuous process

As many as 116 exploration blocks under the New Exploration and Licensing Policy have been affected due to delay in grant of statutory clearances.

"Exploration operations have suffered in NELP exploration blocks due to delay in grant of various statutory clearances required from Ministry of Defence and other central government or state government regulatory authorities," Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas Dharmendra Pradhan said in a written reply to the Lok Sabha today.

Exploration operations have suffered in 116 NELP exploration blocks due to delays in grant of Petroleum Exploration Licence by state governments including 76 blocks affected due to delay in Defence Ministry approval.

On the progress of revival of sick oil and gas wells, Pradhan said, it is a continuous process.

"Revival of sick oil and gas wells is a continuous process and all the contractors under PSC (production sharing contract) regime, undertake several measures on regular basis to revive the sick wells to increase production," he said.

The revival process includes measures such as periodical well intervention through work-over jobs, well stimulation, installation of suitable artificial lift systems and side tracking of wells etc.

Sick wells are also abandoned by the contractors either on completion of their economic life or due to fact that they could not be economically revived.

He added that the revival of sick wells of fields of ONGC and Oil India under nomination regime is monitored on continuous basis by Directorate General of Hydrocarbons (DGH).