Question : ONGC DISCOVERIES IN MUMBAI HIGH

(a) whether Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Limited (ONGC) has discovered a major offshore oilfield with a reserve of 48 million tonnes of crude oil and natural gas in Mumbai recently;

(b) if so, the details thereof;

(c) whether the said Basin field which recently produces gas of 32 million standards cubic metres a day, would have hit a dry patch next year with production falling by as much as 3 MMSCMD;

(d) if so, whether the sting of discoveries will boost the country`s oil and gas sector where local production accounts for only 30 per cent of the nation`s total consumption; and

(e) if so, the details thereof?

MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF PETROLEUM & NATURAL GAS (SHRI SANTOSH KUMAR GANGWAR)

(a) & (b): Oil & Natural Gas Corporation Ltd. (ONGC) has recently found oil and gas leads in B-22 structure located about 15 kilometres west of Bassein field in Mumbai offshore.

(c): Keeping in view various aspects like reservoir pressure and natural decline, ONGC envisages a production of about 29.66 million standard cubic metres per day (MMSCMD) of gas in 2003-04 from the Bassein field, as against the current rate of production of 31 MMSCMD.

(d) & (e): Exploration is a continuous process and the leads thus obtained from various discoveries are to be pursued to consolidate the gains and produce hydrocarbons, for which no time frame can be laid down.