Expert's report on ONGC-RIL gas theft dispute by June: Oil Minister

ONGC had in May filed a writ in Delhi HC alleging RIL extracted approx 18 bn cubic meters of gas from its field in KG basin

Petroleum minister Dharmendra Pradhan today said international expert D&M will In June submit its report on ONGC's claim that Reliance Industries had extracted gas from its fields in KG basin.

ONGC had in May filed a writ petition in the Delhi High Court alleging that "RIL has extracted gas running into approximately 18 billion cubic meters, resulting in loss of several thousand crores of rupees, from its block KG-DWN-98/2 and Godavari block (G-4) located in Krishna Godavari Basin," Pradhan said in written reply in Parliament.

ONGC had requested the court to appoint an independent agency to establish the continuity of reservoirs and to estimate the volume of gas.

 

"Subsequently, ONGC and RIL, under the supervision of DGH, have appointed a third party international expert agency DeGolyer & MacNaughton, Dallas, USA to establish the continuity of reservoirs across the ONGC and RIL offshore deep water blocks/areas in KG Basin," he said.

D&M started its work on September 25. ONGC claims three wells drilled by RIL on the boundary of KG-D6 block are within "few hundred meters" of its gas fields. RIL has disputed ONGC's allegations of theft.