Union Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Wednesday inaugurated the National Seismic Programme (NSP) in Odisha to trace hydrocarbon resources like oil and natural gas in Mahanadi basin.
The programme was launched at Taranga village under Soro block in Balasore district.
The NSP aims to undertake a fresh appraisal in all sedimentary basins across India, especially where no/scanty data is available, to have a better understanding of the hydrocarbon potential of India, said a release.
Under this programme, Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) and Oil India Limited (OIL) have been entrusted to conduct 2D seismic Acquisition, Processing and Interpretation (API) across India.
The ONGC has been assigned to carry out the survey of 40,835 Line Kilo Meter (LKM) in onland part of 26 sedimentary basins in 18 states and union territories including Odisha's Mahanadi basin, the release added.
The OIL has been assigned to carry out 2D seismic API of 7,408 LKM in the states of Assam, Manipur, Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram and Nagaland.
The survey project will be completed by March, 2019.
Mahanadi Basin in Odisha has been chosen as the first location for the roll out of the NSP. The 2D seismic survey of unapprised area in Mahanadi Basin (onland) would establish the potential of hydrocarbon resources in the state, the release said.
In the Mahanadi Basin, Bhadrak-Jajpur area of about 2,189 LKM and Chilika Lake area of about 341 LKM have been identified covering primarily Keonjhar, Balasore, Bhadrak, Jajpur, Kendrapara, Mayurbhanj, Puri, Khurda and Ganjam districts of Odisha.
High-resolution 2D seismic acquisition with cutting edge modern technology is planned in Mahanadi Basin area. The Acquisition stages are scheduled from October 2016 to June 2018 while Processing and Interpretation are scheduled from July 2018 to December 2018.
The outcome from the NSP would contribute to better understanding of the sub-surface with Petroleum Systems across wider geological ages to explore the hydrocarbon reserves in Odisha, said Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.
The total investment for the seismic acquisition in the onland Mahanadi Basin is Rs 79.57 crore, said the release.
Pradhan expressed confidence that once the hydrocarbon potential of Odisha is established through these initiatives, it would lead to Exploration & Production (E&P) activities and attract significant investment to the sector in the state generating employment opportunities and bringing prosperity to the state.
Odisha Steel and Mines Minister Prafulla Kumar Mallick, CMD of ONGC Dinesh K. Saraf and other senior officials of the Petroleum and Natural Gas Ministry were present on the occasion.
--IANS
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