HELP Hydrocarbon Exploration and Licensing Policy

More documents

Recommendations

Info

Tamil Research Institution (TRI) Evolution of Upstream Indian Oil and Gas Industry The story of Oil exploration in India began in the dense jungles and swamps and river-valleys of the north-eastern corner of the country. Lt. R. Wilcox, Major A. White, Capt. Francis Jenkins, Capt. P.S. Hanny, W. Griffith, W.Licut Bigge–they all saw at different times petroleum seepages from the banks of river Dihing. Mr. C.A. Bruce (1828) and Mr. H.B. Medicott (1865) of the Geological Survey of India also saw oil seepages while prospecting for coal in upper Assam. Barely seven years after Edwin L. Drake drilled the world’s first Oil well in 1859 at Titusville, Pennsylvania, USA, in 1866, Mr. Goodenough of McKillop, Stewart and Company, Calcutta, drilled a hand-dug well of 102 feet at Nahorpung near Jaipur area of Upper Assam but failed to establish satisfactory production. In his second attempt on 26 March 1867, Oil was struck at merely 118 feet (35.97-m) in Asia’s first mechanically drilled well at Makum near Margherita area of Upper Assam. However, the first well dug at Digboi field in Assam in September 1889 and completed in November 1890 at depth of 662 feet by Assam Railways and Trading Company Limited (AR&T Co. Ltd.), registered at London, is regarded as the first commercially successful Oil discovery (200 gallons per day). To add color to geological reasoning, legend was created that during the construction of a railway line by AR&T, in the year 1867, a herd of logging elephants returned to camp with their feet covered in oil after a night time excursion to find food and water. This led men to trail to the salt lick where seepages were prolific. Looking at this, the elated English owner cried out to his men, “Dig boy, dig”. Probably the name Digboi itself came from that word. AR&T subsequently acquired a 77.7 square kilometer petroleum-rights concession in the Makum area of Assam, and by 1893 had drilled 10 wells at Digboi producing 757.08 liters/day. AR&T established Assam Oil Company (AOC) in 1899 with a capital of £310,000 to take over the petroleum interests of AR&T, including the Digboi and Makum concessions and set up a small refinery at Margherita (Upper Assam) with a capacity of 500 bopd to refine the Digboi-Oil. Thereafter, systematic drilling began in 1891 and few years later in 1901, Asia’s first Oil refinery was set up at Digboi. It is still functional and the world’s oldest operating refinery. Failure to utilize Geological reasoning, promiscuous wild catting, misguided investment and nonchalance of the management towards technical support led to compounding of errors by AOC which made the company technically and financially impotent. Later on UK based Burma Oil Company (BOC) arrived in 1911 in Upper Assam (Surma Valley) and in 1915, after acquiring Oil interest from Budderpore Oil Co. Ltd. (formed by a syndicate of Budderpore tea garden during 1911- 13) began testing option in the Badarpur structure in the Surma valley (Upper Assam). Gradually by 1921, in a phase-wise manner, BOC acquired petroleum interests of AOC. 'Torsion balance' which was successfully adapted for geophysical surveys of Oil was used at Bordubi (Assam) by a geophysical team in 1925. The Indian Co. “TATA Engineering Co.” has also drilled several wells in Jagatia, Gujarat and produced small amount of gas in 1930s. In 1937, BOC jointly with British Petroleum (then Anglo Iranian Oil Co.) and Shell proposed to Govt. of India to carry out a geophysical survey of the important plain areas of India. The proposal was accepted and a new form of grant known as geophysical license was issued by Assam Government. In Assam, successful seismic survey was carried out in Nahorkatiya during 1937-39, triggering new enthusiasm in Oil search and it became forerunner of discoveries in Assam basin and others also. The successful outcome of well NHK-1 in 1937 was vindication for geophysical method in Oil exploration. The world knew importance of Oil and after Independence, Indian leaders realized its utility for rapid industrialization and security of nation. The company rules which were earlier framed to satiate the raw material need of British Empire were re-framed. 14 Evolution of Upstream Indian Oil and Gas Industry www.tamilri.com
Tamil Research Institution (TRI) India's Hydrocarbon Outlook : 2015-16 While framing industrial policy–1948, the development of petroleum industry in the country was given top priority. By 1948, Geological Survey of India (GSI) had started geophysical survey in Cambay area. The first Oil discovery in independent India was made by AOC on 1953 in Nahorkatiya and then in Moran in 1956 both in Upper Assam. The Oil industry, after independence, remained operated by a foreign company for a considerable period Burma Oil Company (BOC) kept its position as the largest company in India till the end of its operation. In 1955-56, a delegation led by Mr. K.D. Malviya, Minister of Natural Resources, visited several European countries to study status of Oil industry in those countries and facilitate training of Indian professionals. Foreign experts also visited India to share their know-how. Erstwhile USSR helped to draw a detail plan for geological and geophysical survey and drilling plan in 2 nd five year plan (1956-57 & 1960-61). With the intention of intensifying and spreading exploration to various parts of the country, a separate Oil and Natural Gas Directorate (ONGD) was set up in 1955, as a subordinate office under the then Ministry of Natural Resources and Scientific Research. The department ONGC was constituted with a nucleus of geoscientists from GSI. But soon after its formation it was realized that the directorate cannot function efficiently with its limited financial and administrative liberty and in early 1956 its status was changed to a commission. In October 1959, ONGC was made a statutory body by an act of parliament delegating it more power but it remained under Ministry. The job of ONGC was defined as “to plan, promote, organize and implement programs for development of Petroleum Resources and the production and sale of petroleum and petroleum products produced by it, and to perform such other function as the central government may, from time to time, assign to it”. www.tamilri.com 15
Page 1 and 2: Tamil Research Institution (TRI) In
Page 3 and 4: Tamil Research Institution (TRI) Hk
Page 11 and 12: Tamil Research Institution (TRI) Ta
Page 13: Tamil Research Institution (TRI) In
Page 65 and 66:
Tamil Research Institution (TRI) In
Page 67 and 68:
Page 69 and 70:
Page 71 and 72:
Page 73 and 74:
Page 75 and 76:
Page 77 and 78:
0.00 Tamil Research Institution (TR
Page 79 and 80:
Page 81 and 82:
Page 83 and 84:
Page 85 and 86:
Page 87 and 88:
Page 89 and 90:
Page 91 and 92:
Page 93 and 94:
Page 95 and 96:
Page 97 and 98:
Page 99 and 100:
Page 101 and 102:
Page 103 and 104:
Page 105 and 106:
Page 107 and 108:
Page 109 and 110:
Page 111 and 112:
Page 113 and 114:
Page 115 and 116:
Page 117 and 118:
Page 119 and 120:
Page 121 and 122:
Page 123 and 124:
Page 125 and 126:
Page 127 and 128:
Page 129 and 130:
Page 131 and 132:
Page 133 and 134:
Page 135 and 136:
Page 137 and 138:
Page 139 and 140:
Page 141 and 142:
Page 143 and 144:
Page 145 and 146:
Madhya Pradesh 103.36 Jharkhand 58.
Page 147 and 148:
Page 149 and 150:
Page 151 and 152:
Page 153 and 154:
Page 155 and 156:
Page 157 and 158:
Page 159 and 160:
Page 161 and 162:
Page 163 and 164:
Page 165 and 166:
Page 167 and 168:
Page 169 and 170:
Page 171 and 172:
Page 173 and 174:
Page 175 and 176:
Page 177 and 178:
Page 179 and 180:
Page 181 and 182:
Page 183 and 184:
Page 185 and 186:
Page 187 and 188:
Page 189 and 190:
Page 191 and 192:
Page 193 and 194:
Page 195 and 196:
show all

HELP Hydrocarbon Exploration and Licensing Policy

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

Delete template?

Save as template?