The natural gas output from the KG-D6 block of Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) has touched a new low of 15.5 million metric standard cubic metres per day (mmscmd) even as RIL shut down the ninth well on the main gas fields leaving nine other wells operational.
According to the report filed by the company with the Directorate-General of Hydrocarbons (DGH), RIL shut the well A1 on the main producing fields of Dhirubhai-1 and 3 (D1&D3) in KG basin D6 block for reservoir build-up study.
The company has been forced to shut the previous eight wells due to high volumes of water and sand seeping in, which affected production. The latest shut down led to the output slipping from D1&D3 to 11.70 mscm in the first week of April. Together with 4.09 mscm from MA oilfield in the same block, the output totalled 15.79 mscm in the week.
However, production has since plummeted further to 15.50 mmscmd this week, the lowest level since D1&D3 started production in April 2009. RIL has so far drilled 22 wells on D1&D3 fields.
Of the 15.79 mscm of gas production from KG-D6, 13.50 mscm was sold to urea manufacturing fertiliser plants. No sale was made to power plants and 2.29 mmscmd was consumed by LPG manufacturing plants.
