ONGC reiterates Reliance draining gas from its block in KG basin

Stating that Reliance Industries (RIL) has no locus standi to raise dispute on the ONGC’s performance, the PSU explorer on Wednesday accused the firm of draining gas from its reservoirs at 98/2KG Basin block through the latter’s wells. RIL operates the adjacent block 98/3 KG Basin.

ONGC told the Delhi High Court that it wants to secure its rights, which are being jeopardised by continuous production activity from the four wells of RIL to its detriment. ONGC had earlier accused RIL of drawing natural gas worth an estimated Rs 30,000 crore from its fields adjacent to the latter’s KG-D6 block.

ONGC in its affidavit filed through counsel Sunil Jain told the court that the Modular Dynamic Tests (MDT) conducted by it through an independent and reputed service provider for evaluating current reservoir pressures in the wells G-4-3 and G-4-2 in the Godavari PML in January and February, respectively, have revealed significant depletion in the pressure in the reservoirs.

“Tests show that the reservoir pressure in the Well G-4-3 has come down from initial 233 kg per square centimetre (Ksc), measured in 2004, to 83-100 Ksc and the reservoir pressure in the Well G-4-2 has come down from initial 232 Ksc measured in 2004 to 94-102 Ksc,” ONGC said, adding it had not drawn any gas from the reservoirs so far.

“Therefore, the drop in the reservoir pressures in the wells of Godavari PML conclusively establishes the fact that the reservoir in the Godavari PML of ONGC and the reservoirs in the KG-DWN-98/3 of RIL are connected with one another and that gas from the reservoirs in Godavari PML has been extracted by RIL through its wells,” the PSU said in a rejoinder.

RIL has sought four weeks to respond to the allegations.

Reliance Industries Limited (RIL)