Essar gets nod for shale exploration in WB, plans to invest Rs 7,000 crore

To start with, Essar will be drilling five wells in the block by 2020.

Essar Oil & Gas Exploration and Production (EOGEPL) has got clearance from the environment ministry to explore shale reserves in its Raniganj block in West Bengal. The company is planning a total investment of Rs 7,000 crore to explore shale gas from the block. Essar is one of the first companies in the country to have got clearance from the government after the Union Cabinet recently allowed operators the option to explore all hydrocarbons in the existing field. In a January 29 meeting of the expert appraisal committee (EAC) for environment clearance, the environment ministry allowed the company to drill