ONGC discovers major Hydrocarbon reserves in Nadia; drilling to begin soon

Kolkata: In a major expansion in Bengal’s potential energy reserves, hydrocarbon reserves equivalent to 0.9 million tonnes of oil were identified at two exploration sites in Nadia and North 24-Parganas.

The discoveries were made during ongoing exploration by the Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC). A senior ONGC official during a press conference on Friday said that the reserve in Nadia’s Ranaghat was much bigger than that of Ashokenagar where the ONGC had made the discovery of oil in 2018.

The official also said that ONGC has already informed the matter to the Director General of Hydrocarbons (DGH) under the Union Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas and the permission has been obtained for initiating the drilling works. The drilling will also begin soon, sources said.

Union minister of State for the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, Suresh Gopi, in a written response to BJP MP Samik Bhattacharya in the Rajya Sabha recently stated that ONGC was exploring for oil in Kankpul I in North 24-Parganas and Ranaghat II in Nadia.

In Ranaghat, drilling reached a depth of 2,719m, also resulting in a natural gas find. The appraisal phase there is expected to continue until 2027. At Kankpul, the well has been drilled to a depth of 2,730m, resulting in a gas discovery. The appraisal phase is set to continue until October. Apart from these locations, ONGC has been conducting oil and gas exploration in North 24-Parganas, South 24-Parganas, Nadia, Murshidabad and Burdwan as well.

Incidentally, the Mamata Banerjee government in March this year granted the ONGC necessary clearance to commence large-scale oil-drilling operations in Ashoknagar of North 24-Parganas. This decision followed the discovery of mineral oil in the area, with reserves identified at multiple locations, particularly around Baigachi in North 24-Parganas. The then Union petroleum minister Dharmendra Pradhan in December 2020, had inaugurated commercial oil and gas extraction in the region, laying the groundwork for further exploration.

Now, with the state government’s approval in place, ONGC is set to expand its operations across Bengal. In total, ONGC has identified 13 sites for drilling in North 24-Parganas, three in South 24-Parganas, one in Nadia and five across East and West Midnapore districts.