The Oil India Limited has set up an oil rig at Kusupur under Puri’s Gop block near Konark in order to explore crude oil and natural gas in the region.
As per reports, all the advanced machinery and equipment to make the rig operational have reached the spot and the process will start shortly.
After the Oil India found proof of crude oil in the Mahanadi Basin near Konark last year, the Central government PSU took eight acres of land from 37 land owners in Kusupur on lease for three years to explore the quantity and quality of underground oil.
An Oil India Supervisor, Ravi said, “This is the first phase of the exploration. The rig has been set up. We will start the drilling process by the end of this month.”
“As far as the depth is concerned, we will drill up to 22000 metres. May be beyond that too, if need arises,” he said.
Corroborating the claims, a geologist, Manas Swain said, “They will drill a minimum of 600 metres and it can go up to 3000 metres depending upon the oil level in the area. The exploration process will take 1-2 years before actually oil can be extracted from the well.”
In 2012, extensive exploratory drilling and surveys were carried out at an investment of Rs 1248 crore, including Rs 220 crore in seismic surveys, at five coastal blocks and eight districts i.e. Puri, Khordha, Cuttack, Jagatsinghpur, Kendrapara, Jajpur, Bhadrak, and Balasore.
After surveying 3000 square km of five blocks, oil and natural gas deposits were found at two places in Gop block. Eight acres of land at Kusupur Mouza and another eight acres of land at Chitra Mouza under Mahalpada panchayat were identified through satellite mapping.
(Reported By Sanjay Pati, OTV)