GEECL plans Rs 15k investment in shale gas at Raniganj block

08 Jun 2022 CW Team

GEECL signed the first confidence-building measures (CBM) contract in India for the Raniganj South block in 2001 and the first to commercialise CBM in 2007.

He said that the company has a huge potential for shale resources of up to 6.63 trillion cubic feet (TCF) in the block. The company is waiting to amend the petroleum mining lease for shale exploration from the West Bengal government. It also plans to drill some shale core wells to assess the geological and other technical factors.

Modi said that GEECL would drill some pilot production wells, and the total investment envisaged in our shale programme is around Rs 15,000 crore.

He added that the company is in talks with the government to levy a windfall tax on higher earnings resulting for oil and gas players because of increased global energy prices.

He said that oil and gas prices depend on various factors, including supply and demand, geographical, and geopolitical issues. The prices can rise and fall with other commodities and goods.

Currently, the prices of oil prices are hovering at more than $110 per barrel.

Modi said that the windfall tax would discourage domestic investments in this sector, which will increase imports, which are already at 85% for oil and 50% for gas. It will penalise local producers and incentivise international producers.

He added that natural gas under Goods and Service Tax (GST) would go further in increasing investments in the sector and reduce hydrocarbon imports, achieving a 15% share of gas in India's total energy mix.

Eco-friendly natural gas makes up 6.7% of all primary energy consumption in India.

Image Source

Also read: Cairn India's shale programme to reduce 10% oil & gas imports

CEO and Managing Director of Great Eastern Energy Corporation Limited (GEECL), Prashant Modi, told the media that it plans to invest nearly Rs 15,000 crore in exploring shale gas at its Raniganj South block in West Bengal. GEECL signed the first confidence-building measures (CBM) contract in India for the Raniganj South block in 2001 and the first to commercialise CBM in 2007. He said that the company has a huge potential for shale resources of up to 6.63 trillion cubic feet (TCF) in the block. The company is waiting to amend the petroleum mining lease for shale exploration from the West Bengal government. It also plans to drill some shale core wells to assess the geological and other technical factors. Modi said that GEECL would drill some pilot production wells, and the total investment envisaged in our shale programme is around Rs 15,000 crore. He added that the company is in talks with the government to levy a windfall tax on higher earnings resulting for oil and gas players because of increased global energy prices. He said that oil and gas prices depend on various factors, including supply and demand, geographical, and geopolitical issues. The prices can rise and fall with other commodities and goods. Currently, the prices of oil prices are hovering at more than $110 per barrel. Modi said that the windfall tax would discourage domestic investments in this sector, which will increase imports, which are already at 85% for oil and 50% for gas. It will penalise local producers and incentivise international producers. He added that natural gas under Goods and Service Tax (GST) would go further in increasing investments in the sector and reduce hydrocarbon imports, achieving a 15% share of gas in India's total energy mix. Eco-friendly natural gas makes up 6.7% of all primary energy consumption in India. Image Source Also read: Cairn India's shale programme to reduce 10% oil & gas imports

Real Estate

31 Oct 2025

Birla Estates Tops Global GRESB 2025 Rankings

Birla Estates (BEPL), a wholly owned subsidiary of Aditya Birla Real Estate (formerly Century Textiles and Industries Limited), has been recognised as a Sector Leader in the 2025 GRESB Real Estate Assessment, securing top honours across multiple global and regional categories.Birla Estates’ Achievements in GRESB 2025:Global Sector Leader – ResidentialGlobal Sector Leader – Non-Listed ResidentialRegional Sector Leader – Asia – ResidentialRegional Sector Leader – Non-Listed – Asia – ResidentialThese distinctions reaffirm Birla Estates’ exceptional performance in Environmental, ..

Infrastructure Transport

31 Oct 2025

Progota India Secures RDSO Clearance for Kavach 4.0

Concord Control Systems, one of India’s leading manufacturers of embedded electronic and critical system solutions, announced that its associate company, Progota India, has received Technical Prototype Clearance from the Research Designs and Standards Organisation (RDSO) for Kavach 4.0, the latest version of Indian Railways’ indigenous Automatic Train Protection (ATP) system.With this clearance, Progota has been formally approved to execute its ongoing trial order from South Central Railway, marking a key milestone in India’s railway modernization journey. The approval also establishes P..

Infrastructure Urban

31 Oct 2025

MPS Interactive Systems Completes Full Acquisition of Liberate Group

MPS Interactive Systems (MPSi), a material subsidiary of MPS, has completed the acquisition of the remaining shareholding in the Liberate Group of Companies—comprising Liberate Learning, App-eLearn, and Liberate eLearning.With this transaction, MPSi now holds 100 per cent ownership of all entities within the Liberate Group, making them its wholly owned subsidiaries. The acquisition was executed in line with the valuation methodology defined in the original transaction documents.Commenting on the development, Rahul Arora, Chairman and CEO of MPS, said, “The corporate learning sector continu..