ONGC to use digital technology for oil fields

Oil and Natural Gas Commission (ONGC) for the first time will use digital technology for drilling oil and natural gas in the G1-GS15 oil fields, off the Kakinada cost in Andhra Pradesh. These oil fields would be termed as 'intelligent (IN) fields'.

Subir Raha, chairman and managing director of ONGC, said: "By way of commercial exploration, ONGC has taken up two major projects in the state. While the 'intelligent fields' would begin production by 2006, the other project "� G-4 "� was being developed as an integrated development platform.

The corporation is working with national and foreign bidders to deliver the gas finds from these offshore fields to the shore.

ONGC is planning to invest Rs 3,500 crore annually for explorations. "ONGC expects to double its oil and gas discoveries from the present 5.8 billion tonnes to 12 billion tonnes by 2020. Of this, four billion would be from deep water and two billion would be from onshore. The company spends nearly $0.5 million everyday for this purpose," Raha said.

He adds, "When we are looking at high returns, investments into the projects would also be high."

Raha was speaking to reporters after receiving the V Krishnamurthy Award for Excellence - 2004, instituted by the Centre for Organisation Development here on Saturday.

Raha said that the 16 million cubic metres of gas that ONGC produces daily in the state is mainly consumed by the power sector.

Commenting on the marketing of clean fuels, Raha said that compressed natural gas (CNG) and superior sulphur diesel were the best options for vehicles, especially in urban areas where the vehicular pollution is more, recalling the Mashelkar Committee report.

ONGC, he said, plans to intensify oil explorations in the state. And with this in view another drilling ship, 'Sagar Bhushan' has been commissioned to the IN Fields.

The corporation had earlier commissioned two ships "� 'Sagar Vijay' and 'Discoverer Seven Seas'. Sagar Vijay which is capable of drilling up to 900 metres in deep waters has already made significant contribution in the Krishna-Godavari (K-G) basin since February.