Crude Oil Output Down 1.5% In January

Crude oil production in the country declined by 1.5 per cent to 2.778 million tonne in January compared with 2.82 million tonne produced in the same month last year.

According to data released by the petroleum ministry today, refinery production at 9.389 million tonne was, however, 10.1 per cent higher than the 8.527 million tonne crude throughput in January 2001. Refineries operated at 98.1 per cent capacity in January as opposed to 89.2 per cent in the corresponding month last year.

Crude oil production during the first 10 months of the current fiscal stood at 1.8 per cent lower at 26.793 million tonne as against 27.29 million tonne produced in April-January last fiscal.

 

Refineries operated at 94.9 per cent capacity utilisation to produce 89.6 million tonne of products in April-January 2001-02 as opposed to 90.7 per cent producing 85.439 million tonne.

Natural gas production at 2,578 million cubic metre during January 2002 was 3.5 per cent higher than 2,490 million cubic metres in January 2001. Cumulatively, it was 1 per cent higher at 24,877 million cubic metre than the production of 24,636 million cubic metre attained during the corresponding period last previous year.

Crude oil production by ONGC was marginally higher at 2.171 million tonne in January 2001 compared with 2.167 million tonne in the same month last year.

It was, however, 2.1 per cent lower at 20.662 million tonne in April-January as against 21.114 million tonne in the corresponding period the previous year.

Crude oil production from prime Bombay High offshore fields declined 0.2 per cent to 1.437 million tonne in January and 4.6 per cent to 13.437 million tonne in the first 10 months of the current fiscal.

The output from private and joint venture operations was 6.4 per cent lower at 375,000 tonne in January but was marginally higher at 3.439 million tonne in April-January 2001-02.

Seventeen public sector refineries operated at 93.5 per cent capacity to produce 6.803 million tonne of products in January while Reliance Petroleum's Jamnagar refinery operated at 112.8 per cent capacity to produce a crude throughput of 2.586 million tonne.

During April-January, public sector refineries operated at 90.2 per cent capacity to produce 64.729 million tonne of petroleum products while Reliance operated at 109.9 per cent capacity to produce 24.871 million tonne of products.