Cairn India's Rajasthan output dips 7% in Q2

The drop in output was mainly due to a shutdown at the fields to carry out maintenance work

Cairn India today reported seven per cent drop in second quarter production from its flagship Rajasthan oilfields, mainly due to a shutdown at the fields to carry out maintenance work.

Rajasthan block production in July-September stood at 163,262 barrels of oil per day as compared to 175,478 bpd a year ago, the company said in a statement here.

"At Rajasthan, we successfully completed the planned shutdown announced in Q1, for routine operational and statutory maintenance activity at the Mangala Processing Terminal, which resulted in lower production of 163,262 bpd," it said.

Cairn said production is back to normal levels in the current quarter.

"We are back to normal production levels at Rajasthan after the shutdown; excluding the shutdown period, Q2 production was comparable to Q1. We also utilised this opportunity to tie-in new facility enhancements related to development projects," the statement said.

Cairn produced 204,128 barrels of oil and oil equivalent gas from all its fields in the country in Q2, down eight per cent from 221,190 boepd in the corresponding period a year ago.

Output from Ravva oil and gas field off the Andhra coast slipped 29% to 20,596 boepd as "gas sales have been suspended since July 4, 2014 on account of one of the customers undertaking a major unplanned maintenance activity within their Andhra Pradesh pipeline network."

At Cambay, production increased by 23% at 10,651 boepd during Q2 on account of successful well intervention measures.

The Vedanta Group firm said overall output was down three per cent in first half of current fiscal at 215,301 boepd.

Rajasthan production slipped one per cent to 173,158 boepd while Ravva output was down 22% at 22,259 boepd.

Cairn holds 70% interest in Rajasthan block while the remaining 30% is with state-owned Oil and Natural Gas Corp (ONGC).

It holds 22.5 per cent stake in offshore Ravva fields, ONGC holds 40%, while Petrocon India and Singapore-based Ravva Oil have 25 per cent and 12.5 per cent, respectively.