HOEC to begin oil production from B-80 in April

16 Dec 2020 CW Staff

In its two years of taking over the B-18 block, Hindustan Oil Exploration Company (HOEC) has discovered more resources and invested money to start an oil and gas output from April next year. P Elango, the Managing Director of HOEC, mentioned that the company would start producing nearly 8,500 barrels per day of oil and gas from its B-80 block.

Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) made an oil discovery in one of the five well it had drilled in the B-80 block that is situated in the Arabian Sea, off the Mumbai coast. However, they failed to find economics to develop it. For the same reason, ONGC had established a 3,500 barrels per day production.

Elango added that the company carried out exploration work and studies while keeping its cost low and optimised production facilities.

HOEC converted an old jack-up rig into a Mobile Offshore Process Unit (MOPU) to produce, store oil offshore, and transfer it to refiners. It is more affordable than building a fixed platform on the block.

Additionally, the MOPU can store nearly 900,000 barrels of oil. Whereas, gas is delivered to the Gujarat market through an existing gas pipeline of ONGC.

HOEC has a 50% stake in the block whereas the remaining lies with Adbhoot Estates. HOEC has increased its stake in the block to 60% in the last week as Adbhoot are facing financial problems.

The company has a Rs 150 crore loan which will be used for capital spending and cash reserves for unforeseen costs. It also includes the installation of floating storage and offloading (FSO) units to commercialise the production of gas and oil.

B-80 block is a large resource base with potential for production as confirmed by Elango. Moreover, they have built a track record on execution by April 2021 to deliver first oil.

Image Source

Infrastructure Urban

09 Apr 2026

Mineral Auction Rules Amended To Speed Mine Operationalisation

The Ministry of Mines notified the Mineral (Auction) Second Amendment Rules, 2026 on 30 March 2026 to accelerate operationalisation of mines and improve ease of doing business in the mining sector. The amendment follows a prior change to the Mineral (Auction) Rules, 2015 effected on 17 October 2025 that introduced intermediary timelines between issuance of a letter of intent (LoI) and execution of the mining lease. The 2025 change provided that one per cent of performance security would be appropriated for each month of delay by the preferred bidder and introduced incentives for early operatio..

Indian Railways Strengthens Telecom And AI Safety Systems

Indian Railways strengthened its telecom and digital infrastructure during 2025-26 with the aim of improving safety, operational efficiency and the passenger experience. The programme promoted modernisation through advanced technologies, robust communication systems and passenger-centric solutions. These measures were presented as part of a drive to build a digitally integrated rail ecosystem. A key development was the enhancement of the Internet Protocol Multi-Protocol Label Switching (IP MPLS) backbone, commissioned at 1,396 stations to meet bandwidth needs of mission-critical applications. ..

NHAI Holds Workshop on Litigation Management and Coordination

The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) organised a day-long workshop in New Delhi to strengthen capacity and interdepartmental synergy for faster execution of national highway projects. The event was held under Mission Karmayogi – Sadhana Saptah, an initiative of the Government of India to enhance governance through capacity building and improved processes. The workshop focused on structured and solution oriented deliberations to address implementation constraints. The session was chaired by the NHAI chairman Santosh Kumar Yadav and brought together senior officials from NHAI, the M..