ONGC to begin exploration for rare earths in Kerala-Konkan basin soon

The corporation is looking for the presence of rare metals such as lithium, which are of great industrial demand, from 19 wells it had abandoned earlier in the Kerala-Konkan basin, says ONGC director

Undeterred by the failed attempts to strike oil and gas in the Kerala-Konkan basin, researchers of the Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) are planning to search for Rare Earth Elements (REE) in the basin.

Geoscientists of the corporation would set sail for the offshore areas in the basin for geological field workshops once the weather turns conducive. The exploratory works, which are expected to begin in three months, will be concluded before the onset of the southwest monsoon when the weather turns rough.

The ONGC is looking for the presence of rare metals like lithium, which are of great industrial demand, from the 19 wells it had abandoned earlier in the Kerala-Konkan basin where the researchers had failed to hit oil and gas, Sushma Rawat, director (exploration) of ONGC told The Hindu.

The Southern Granulite Terrane, the southern termination of peninsular India, which covers the States of Kerala and Tamil Nadu are likely to be rich in REE. The researchers are revisiting the seismic and other data that were generated during the earlier exploratory activities for traces of REE. If the results turn positive, the ONGC will re-enter the Kerala-Konkan basin in a big way during the next round of bidding for exploratory rights. The corporation has already begun such exploratory works in the Tamil Nadu-Cauvery basin three months ago, said Ms. Rawat.

The offshore area between Cape Comorin in Tamil Nadu and Kasaragod in Kerala is termed the Kerala-Konkan basin for oil exploratory activities.

Wells abandoned

The well dug in the off-Kochi area was terminated in the Basalt/Trachyte section as the results were not encouraging. The wells at Kollam and Kasaragod too had to be abandoned.

The public sector behemoth also has exploratory interests in the Lakshadweep seas and in the exclusive economic zone of the country, which extends up to 200 nautical miles into the sea from the territorial waters. The corporation may bid for at least 10,000 sq km of blocks in the basin during the upcoming bidding round. The annual outlay for the exploratory programmes of the corporation is to the tune of ₹10,000 crore, she said.