ONGC to resume Hazira gas production on Aug 19

Oil and Natural Gas Corp (ONGC) will restart its flood-hit Hazira gas plant in Gujarat on August 19, two-days ahead of schedule to avert a fuel supply crisis particularly for CNG operations in the national capital.

"The situation is better than anticipated. We think we will be able to restart the Hazira gas processing complex earlier than the previously anticipated date. We are hoping the plant may come alive on August 18," R S Sharma, CMD of ONGC, said after visiting the marooned facility.

Sharma, who took a chartered flight from Dehradun to visit the plant as soon as the 18-21 feet water receded, said Hazira would restart production in phases - 6 million standard cubic meters per day to begin with.

The shutdown of the plant, which received 40.5 mmscmd gas from ONGC's Bassein and B-55 fields and ONGC-Reliance-BG operated Panna/Mukta and Tapti fields, cost ONGC Rs 21 crore in revenues and Rs 16-17 crore in profits per day.

"Preliminary estimates put the revenue loss during the entire shutdown period at about Rs 500 crore and profit loss at over Rs 200 crore," he said.

The Hazira visit of Sharma, whose crisis management skills helped ONGC save hundreds of lives when a key facility in Mumbai High fields caught fire last July, infused new life in operations for restarting the facility with over 650 employees and labourers working round-the-clock to remove 2-3 feet slag, repair 1,400 motors and replace digital control systems.

Hazira, whose shutdown tripped half of India's gas supplies, would be back just in time before stocks for CNG operations in Delhi and some power plants run out.