OIL begins exploratory drilling for oil, gas at Puri

Oil India Ltd, the nation’s second-biggest oil producer, last week began drilling to explore underground oil and natural gas at Gop Kushupur area in Puri district in Odisha. Oil India has taken eight acres of land in lease for three years and also paid compensation of Rs 10 million to families of 37 farmers displaced due to the project. Last year, extensive exploratory drilling and surveys had been carried out at an investment of Rs 12.48 billion, including Rs 2.20 billion in seismic surveys, at five coastal blocks and eight districts: Puri, Khordha, Cuttack, Jagatsinghpur, Kendrapara, Jajpur, Bhadrak, and Balasore. After surveying 3000 sq 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 map. See also: Govt to reassess oil demand, refinery capacity projectionsWest Coast refinery project may come up in Maharashtra