Mukesh Ambani-run Reliance Industries today announced discovery of an oilfield 130 km from Ahmedabad in Gujarat, its second major find after the offshore MA field in the Krishna Godavari basin.
Reliance discovered oil in the fifth well it drilled on the 635-square kilometer CB-ONN-2003/1 block in the Cambay basin, a company statement said but did not give reserves the field may hold.
The block was awarded to Reliance in the fifth round of bidding under the New Exploration Licensing Policy (NELP). The company holds 100 per cent participating interest in the block.
Reliance had previously found crude oil reserves in the predominately gas-rich KG D-6 block off the east coast. The MA field, which came into production in September last year, is currently producing around 11,000 barrels per day.
The fifth well on the Cambay onland block, CB10A-A1 was drilled to a depth of 1451 meters. It encountered about 15 meter reservoir and the well flowed 500 barrels of oil per day during conventional testing.
"This discovery is expected to open future potential within the block," Reliance said, adding the discovery has been named 'Dhirubhai-43'.
"Commerciality of this discovery is being ascertained through more data gathering and analysis," the statement said. "3D Seismic data has been acquired over 80 per cent of the block area and 2D Seismic data has been acquired over the entire area."
"The discovery, named 'Dhirubhai-43' has been notified to Government and Directorate General of Hydrocarbons," the Reliance statement said.
The onland exploratory block CB-ONN-2003/1 covers an area of 635 sq km in two parts - Part A located in the west with an area of 570 square kilometres and Part B located to the east with an area of 65 square kilometres.
The discovery was made in Part A of the block, it said. A gross reservoir thickness of about 15 meters was encountered and the well flowed at a rate of 500 barrels of oil per day through a 6 mm bean with a flowing tubing head pressure of 360 psi on conventional testing.
"This discovery supplements Reliance's understanding of the petroleum system in this block in the Cambay basin. Based on interpretation of the acquired 3D seismic data, several prospects have been identified at different stratigraphic levels," the statement added.
